


Cinders

by FireStorm1991



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Death, F/M, Fire, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Substance Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:07:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 99,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireStorm1991/pseuds/FireStorm1991
Summary: Fires are destructive; they can be detrimental in the lives of man. Vegeta knows this better than anyone, and the burning home of Bulma Briefs serves as a cruel reminder. Sympathizing with the now homeless woman, Vegeta takes her in, and suddenly his crumbling life changes forever.Original FFN Run: September 1, 2013 - August 3, 2016
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Kakarot/Chi-Chi, Raditz/Original Female Character
Comments: 27
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.
> 
> So this story kind of goes hand in hand with another story I did, Foster Family. The plot is completely different and a little more dark/depressing (in my opinion), and for that, it’s rated M. I hope you enjoy this adaptation.

Today was just an ordinary day at the West City Fire Department. Thankfully, there had been no calls, no fires destroying the homes of fellow citizens. Those on duty ate their lunch; most sat away from some of the more business type men in their precinct. That was just the way firefighter, Vegeta Kurobushi, liked it.

Vegeta had been a firefighter the majority of his life, following in the footsteps of his late father. The flame-haired youth always dreamed about joining his father as a firefighter one day, though he never got the chance. Irony was not one of Vegeta’s favorite things, so when his parents passed on from a plane crash Vegeta became angry with his circumstances. He almost gave up on his dream, but someone stopped him.

One of his father’s friends still worked at the precinct and was the one who got him involved. His name was Nappa and he was the best guardian Vegeta could have asked for. His parents’ deaths were hard for Vegeta, but Nappa took him in so that the system wouldn’t. Vegeta stayed with Nappa until he graduated high school and was able to afford a small apartment on his own. Nappa was the one that encouraged Vegeta to join the department, and he was the one who taught the young man all he knew about safety on the job.

The other two in their group were Kakarot and Raditz, two brothers who were really good at their job. Vegeta had already been in training when they joined. Raditz moved out on his own and was searching for a job after his father threw him out. Kakarot left home, also, wanting to support his older brother. Neither of them had spoken to their father since and were perfectly happy being roommates and joining their district.

“So you want to come with us?” Kakarot stated after he nearly shoved a sandwich down his throat. “Our treat, Vegeta. What do you say?”

“No, Kakarot,” Vegeta sighed. “I want to be left alone.”

“But it’s your birthday!” his friend shouted calling the attention of their other compatriots. Vegeta flashed glares in response to their questioning and judgmental gazes, and then glared at Kakarot. “Sorry…what I meant to say is we should celebrate tonight.”

“I don’t celebrate,” Vegeta retorted. “After I get off, I’m going home.”

“Well, whatever,” Raditz piped in. He took a long sip of his coffee, then rested a dark blue mug on the coffee-colored table. “It is _your_ birthday after all.”

“Lay off,” Vegeta muttered before he heard his boss, Rodney, call for him.

“Vegeta!”

Kakarot and Raditz looked over to Vegeta nervously. “What the heck did you do now, boy?” Nappa questioned.

The response was a shrug. “Hell if I know.” With that, Vegeta stood up and walked into a small office with his head held high.

* * *

Rodney sighed when Vegeta sat down in the seat across from his desk. Rumors continued to go around the department and it was his job to clear them. Vegeta had always been a hardworking and committed firefighter, ever since he was a teenager even, so he had no reasons to doubt his abilities. If the rumors proved true, however, something would have to be done to make sure no lives would be endangered.

“Good afternoon, Vegeta,” Rodney said, attempting to be pleasant. “I hear birthday wishes are in order.”

“Not really,” Vegeta replied nonchalantly while he stared at the gray, paper-covered walls. “Why am I in here?”

Now, Rodney wasn’t a bad guy, but he always irritated Vegeta. The man tried to act like a father to him, and the flame-haired youth did not take it well. He didn’t care if Rodney worked closely with his late father in the past or even if he had met Rodney few times when he was a small boy. His boss was not his father. No one could ever replace him, and no one except this short, stout, balding man in front of him ever tried.

“Vegeta, I’ll get straight to the point,” Rodney replied harshly, though reluctantly. “I was told by someone here that they saw you at the bar again last night.”

Vegeta stared at Rodney blankly before he shook his head. “I fail to see how that is any of yours or their business. Let me guess, Yamcha, right?”

“Vegeta,” Rodney said sternly. “Our mission here is to save lives, and you can’t do that if you have a hangover in the morning and lack focus.”

“I wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t alert!” Vegeta shouted. The firefighter stood and placed his hands on the desk. “I don’t see how it’s your business if I go out to a bar or not. You don’t even know how much I drank. Just to be clear, I’m sober. I never come to work drunk.”

“Vegeta, the person who told me has seen you there before,” Rodney pressed. “Others in the department have seen you there consecutive nights. I think you might have a problem, son.”

Vegeta felt a lot of anger towards his boss, for multiple reasons. First was his accusation. Vegeta drank often, as any man did. No, he didn't have a drinking problem, or at least he told himself that. Sometimes it would just be one to get over a long a stressful day. Sometimes one became many. But he definitely didn't have a problem. He never drank anything heavy, and it was never enough to impair his senses the next day. What he did with his life was his business, and no one else’s save Nappa. If Nappa hadn’t harassed him about it, there was no way in hell he’d allow his boss to lecture him on his personal habits.

“Don’t call me that,” Vegeta said darkly. “As for your allegations, you have no say in what I do if it doesn’t affect my work, and you know it hasn’t affected my work, so we are done here.” Vegeta didn’t let Rodney respond to his tirade. Leaving the bald man stunned with widened brown eyes, Vegeta returned to the common area. Thankfully, he only had a few more hours left in the day anyway.

* * *

Four minutes. He only had for minutes before he could leave and return home. He wasn’t on call for the night seeing as it was his birthday. Vegeta was ready to get out of there and spend a quiet evening at home, alone. When he was alone, he didn’t have to worry about concealing his emotions as much as normal. He could drink in peace without being harassed, or so he thought until this day disproved that theory. He only had to wait four minutes.

And then chaos ensued. After a peaceful day with no calls in, the alarm in the firehouse blared, and all who was there could hear. Everyone reacted in the normal way, including Vegeta who no longer cared about those four minutes. After all, someone needed them, needed him.

He was the first one on and off the truck. He conferred with Nappa for suggestions on how to enter. It was a building in the center of town, thankfully away from other buildings, but it would spread if they weren’t careful. The white, domed building that was both a home and business to one of the greatest inventors out there was completely engulfed in flames and black smoke with only few ways in and out. Workers made it out and looked disheveled, rundown, and were either receiving medical attention or panicking.

“What do you need me to do?” Vegeta asked Nappa. This was always a little unconventional for the department seeing as the main goals were always to contain the fires, but what Vegeta wanted to know was if he was needed inside, if everyone was out safely. Vegeta’s main goal was to save the lives of whoever remained inside.

“Workers are panicking because their boss, his wife, and daughter are still in,” Nappa explained, “but Vegeta, there’s no way in and if there is, most likely you won’t get to them in time. Just work on containing the fire.”

Vegeta ignored him; he got the gear he needed, including a mask, to get inside. “Vegeta, don’t,” Nappa ordered, though he knew his plea fell on deaf ears. Vegeta wasn’t listening any longer.

As soon as Nappa said there were three civilians still inside, Vegeta’s mind was on autopilot. He knew what he needed to do: go in, get the survivors, and get out. The youth didn’t even hear the concerned calls of his friends and guardian as he charged in through the burning front door.

Surrounded by flames, he searched around for the three people he needed to find. He only had minutes to find them, avoided spots where the ceiling threatened to cave in. And then he came across a scene he wished he would never have seen.

The daughter of the scientist hovered over the burning bodies of her now deceased parents, attempted to yell for help but choked from the smoke inhalation. When he got to her, she fought him as he tried to lead her away from the gruesome sight. The girl did not want to leave, but Vegeta managed to forcibly lift her and ignore her kicks and punches.

* * *

Nappa was concerned; he waited by the trunk, hoped that Vegeta would get out of there soon. Some of the others in the squad were busy trying to contain the fire and were thankfully succeeding. As an older member of the district, Nappa was looked to as the leader, and right now he was worried about one of those his duties and conscience had him protect.

Parts of the domed house broke and crackled, and Nappa knew that if Vegeta didn’t appear in the next five minutes, he wasn’t going to come out at all. That was driving the bald man insane. He should have tried harder to stop Vegeta, regardless of how much his charge would have fought. At least he would know that the youth was safe.

As he stared at the entrance that was starting to become a danger zone, Nappa had just about given up, that is until Vegeta rushed out with a blue-haired girl. The older man was about to offer help before Raditz rushed over. The girl was hysterical and choking; she had been exposed to the smoke and flames. Raditz took the girl in his arms and brought her over to the medical team while Vegeta went back to the trunk to return the mask. Then right after, he went over to the young girl.

The oxygen mask was given right away, though she still coughed a lot. Her family’s workers went over to check on her health and apologize for the accident that had allegedly caused the fire. He heard them say her name, Bulma or Miss Briefs, numerous times. Bulma kept attempting to respond but couldn’t speak and began to cough roughly again. And then she looked at Vegeta; her blue eyes searched him for some sort of answer as to what she just witnessed that night. Terrified and devastated by her loss, tears joined the ash and matted down hair on her pale face. Vegeta didn’t know what to say or do, but the shock of losing one’s parents was too great and he knew that. For some reason unbeknownst to him, he wanted to go with the medical staff and make sure the girl was okay; his plans and desires to be alone for the night were forgotten.

* * *

There was only one way to get information at the hospital, especially when it came to someone famous. It involved breaking the law and privacy of the patient, and if he got caught there would be some problems, but he needed to make sure the young girl, Bulma, would be okay.

“Who are you here to see?” the female greeter questioned as Vegeta made his way to the desk. By this time, he had been home and changed from his uniform into a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. It was better that he draw less attention to himself since he was breaking hospital policy.

“Bulma Briefs,” he stated earning a raised eyebrow. “I’m her cousin.”

“Oh, okay,” the woman replied before she wrote out a visitor’s pass for him. “That’s room 420.”

“Thanks,” Vegeta muttered. He took the pass and headed to the elevators.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the room. Thankfully, no one was in the hall either. It would make it easier to see Bulma’s file without anyone knowing he was there.

Not even seconds after he opened the front cover, there was a doctor standing in front of him. The medical professional cleared his throat and looked quite perturbed. Vegeta closed the file and placed it back on the door. “What were you doing?” the doctor asked irritably.

Vegeta crossed his arms in challenge. “I just got here. I wanted to check on my cousin’s progress,” he lied.

The doctor believed his lie and nodded. “She’ll make a full recovery physically, although for now she’s suffering residual damage from smoke inhalation. I was actually going to check on her now. Would you like to join me?”

Vegeta hesitated slightly but nodded and followed the doctor in the room. He saw that Bulma was asleep on the bed covered by a single white sheet. Her arms were burnt slightly, but that would heal over time. She looked so much cleaner and more peaceful than she had at her home.

“Hm,” the doctor drawled, “I was hoping she’d be awake to test her voice.”

“Her what?” Vegeta asked harshly. “What’s wrong with her voice?”

The doctor sighed before he wrote some things down in her chart. “Between the trauma of losing everything and the damage from the smoke, she won’t be able to speak for a while. The smoke damaged her vocal cords. It will take some time for that to heal, but she will heal.”

A pit formed in Vegeta’s stomach. He couldn’t help but empathize with the girl. He wanted to know more, but it would look too desperate on his part if he wanted his ruse to work.

“Anyway, I have other patients,” the doctor said. “I’ll be back in a bit to see if she’s awake. With everything she’s gone through today it might be good for her to see a familiar face. Mind waiting here?”

“I—” Vegeta attempted to refuse before the doctor flew out the door. “Oh great,” he muttered to himself. Now the doctor expected him to stick around when he really should leave. Well, it wouldn’t be too bad if she couldn’t talk and recount his lie.

So Vegeta decided to stay and look around the hospital room. He always hated how there was nothing but plain, white walls. There was a dry erase board hanging at the side of Bulma’s bed that held the names of the nursing staff and doctor. Then he saw a dry erase board on the table next to Bulma, most likely to aid her in communication.

A soft moan alerted him to Bulma being awake. Well, at least she could still make sounds even if she couldn’t speak. Maybe that’s why the doctor said she’d recover. Their eyes met briefly before Bulma narrowed hers at her intruder. Vegeta didn’t even care that he was caught. Instead he just handed her the board and asked, “How are you holding up?”

 _“How do you think?”_ she wrote on the board. Okay, so she was mad. _“What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”_

“I only wanted to make sure you were all right,” he replied. “I wish I could have done more for you, but I couldn’t, and I felt responsible.”

_“You obviously know what the problem is. Why would the doctor give you information? You’re not family!”_

Vegeta chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. The smug look on his face was all she truly needed to see to know he screwed over the system. “I told them I was your cousin.”

Bulma looked infuriated and hurriedly wrote down another message after she erased the last one. _“I could report you right now and you’d end up in jail or without a job.”_

“Will you?”

Bulma froze and stared blankly at Vegeta. She couldn’t believe he called her bluff. Sure, she could get him in trouble, but she wouldn’t. If anything, she’d correct the staff on him not being her cousin, but say he was a close friend who was checking on progress. Despite the intrusion, he rescued her even when she was hysterical. Then she saw a forming bruise on his face and held back a gasp. Had she really hit him that hard?

 _“No, but I’m changing your story with them,”_ she scribbled. _“They can’t think you’re my cousin when you aren’t.”_

He answered with a shrug. “Fair enough. Now…do you have a place to go?”

Bulma was taken aback by the question but thought on it. She never spoke to any of her relatives, she wouldn’t feel comfortable with her staff, and her only friend was going to be out of town for a week. When she got out the hospital, she wouldn’t have a place to go for at least that long.

_“No…I don’t.”_

Vegeta didn’t know what caused him to say it, especially since he hated having houseguests, but she would need a place to go when they finally released her. “Well, you do now,” he offered.

Bulma’s mouth dropped open before her lips set in a firm line. She looked to the hospital sheet and shook her head. She felt guilty for having snapped at him earlier. Then, with the marker, she wrote another message. _“Why? Why would you help me?”_

“Because I want to,” was all Vegeta could say, not knowing the answer himself. He mentally scoffed at himself, the part of him that wanted to be alone freaking out at the part that was inviting some random girl he saved to live with him.

 _“Thank you,”_ was what she wrote. Then, she erased her message. The doctor entered the room again a second later.

“Ah, Miss Briefs, I see you’re awake now,” he said. “Your cousin came a little while ago.”

Bulma graced Vegeta with another glance before she wrote, _“He isn’t my cousin. He’s my friend, but I’ll be staying with him.”_

“Oh?” the doctor questioned as he gave Vegeta a slightly heated look. Vegeta snorted, crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and allowed the doctor to check on her. “That’s against hospital policy, you know.”

 _“We know, but it’s an arrangement we had because it’s hard for non-family members to get information on people they might as well be family with,”_ she lied.

“Well, whatever works for you,” he told her. “Don’t make a habit of it though. You could always just sign a form allowing the medical staff to talk to him instead of lying and possibly getting each other in trouble.”

_“We’ll keep it in mind.”_

The doctor finished checking her out and picked up his clipboard. “She’s doing okay. We’d like to keep her overnight for observation, but she should be able to be checked out tomorrow sometime. Does that work for you?”

“Yes,” Vegeta replied. “I am off tomorrow. Besides, I need to get things set up at home for her to settle in.”

“Good, we’ll call you,” the doctor replied. He handed Vegeta the clipboard. “We’ll get the number from you, Bulma, when the time comes.”

The doctor left before either could object, but Vegeta solved the problem by writing the number out on her board. “I’ll leave you to rest. I need to go prepare the spare room in my apartment. Is there anything else you need?”

Bulma answered with a shake of her head. Vegeta nodded and then turned to leave. He stopped when he heard a tap and looked to see Bulma glare at him. “What?” he rasped.

_“Have a good night.”_

He smiled sadly, chuckled, and earned the girl’s confusion. “Yes, you too. Rest.” And with that, he was gone, on to start a new chapter in his life. _Happy Birthday to me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta went home that night and did as he said he would. His apartment wasn’t a mess considering how much of a neat freak he was, but Vegeta wanted to make sure his unused second room was ready for a visitor. He put sheets on the bed and then went to the closet. He kept some of his parents’ clothing which he kept in that second closet. He hoped Bulma would be okay with wearing his mother’s clothes until she could get things settled financially with her company and he could take her for her own. He laughed at the irony of this day. All he wanted was to be alone and stay away from society other than his job and he was standing there now, thinking about something as menial as shopping.

In the morning Vegeta would have to go out for groceries seeing as he didn’t have much food in the house. Having not been prepared for guests, it wasn’t in his mindset to be stocked up. That reminded him that he also had yet to eat that night, and he really didn’t feel like cooking. He decided he would grab a quick beer and crackers to curb his hunger and then get some sleep before the next day. After his shopping excursion to the grocery store, he would be called by the hospital and then he’d have a houseguest for an indefinite amount of time.

This whole thing was the universe playing a cruel joke on him, or so he thought after he chugged down his beer. His day was planned out for a week. He was to go to work, pray no alarms went off as he always did, and then return home with takeout only to go to bed and spend the next day watching the television or movies, something mind-numbing to get him prepared for the next work week. Now everything changed and, while part of him screamed at him for what he did, he didn’t seem to mind it as much. Maybe having someone stay with him would help him become social again. He scoffed at his own thoughts. He had his job; he didn’t need to be social. As he plopped himself down onto the bed after his minute meal, he stared up at the ceiling and thought about what the next few weeks to months would be like now that he invited a girl he only just met to live with him. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

The next morning, Vegeta woke up with a small headache. His first reaction was to rummage his medicine cabinet for painkillers and then grab an energy bar before he exited his apartment. It was early in the day, and Bulma would most likely still be asleep. Getting groceries now would be better than waiting and getting called while he was out with a ton of perishables.

The corner store was practically empty save about three people and the cashier. Vegeta mentally released a sigh of relief. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the other people in his neighborhood. Certain neighbors were busybodies. At least today he could shop in peace while he tried to anticipate what the woman he’d be taking in would want.

The shopping didn’t take him long, the store being as small as it was. The cashier quickly rang up his groceries and bagged them in three large, paper bags that he could easily carry. With a nod to the man behind the counter, Vegeta took his leave just in time to get a text from Raditz.

**Meet me at the coffee shop.**

Vegeta snorted at the curtness of the message as well as the implications. So, Raditz wanted to talk. The youth had no idea why his friend would want to seek him out to talk, but part of him figured Rodney may have something to do with it. Well, it was no concern of Vegeta’s. He would go talk to Raditz. For all he knew, the older man just wanted to extend yet another invitation to celebrate his birthday.

Vegeta dropped off his groceries back at his apartment and then headed to the coffee shop Raditz frequented. His long-haired friend was already there, sitting and waiting for him. He did not look happy, so Vegeta knew Raditz wasn’t there to exchange pleasantries. Rodney must have spoken to him, and a lecture was in the works.

Vegeta entered the small shop and made his way to the counter to order a cup of black coffee and some fruity pastry. Raditz watched him from the moment Vegeta walked through the door, expression angered and arms crossed. The older man didn’t understand what was going on. Rodney came to him about Vegeta’s drinking problem, but he was glad he did. If he had gone to Kakarot, his younger brother would be insanely worried and harass Vegeta about it. If he had gone to Nappa, well, Nappa was Vegeta’s authority and if he tried to discuss it with him, Vegeta would play it off and continue in spite of his concern.

Vegeta sat down at the table and stared at Raditz with equal intensity, his features hardened while he waited to hear what his friend had to say. “Rodney talked to me,” Raditz said after a few minutes of silence.

“I figured,” was Vegeta simple reply before he sipped his coffee. “What is it you think you know, Raditz?”

Raditz took a sip of his own coffee and then set it aside. “I know that someone from the firehouse saw you at a bar for multiple nights in a row and went to Rodney because he was concerned. I know that was what Rodney spoke to you about yesterday and that the conversation did not go well, and that is why he came to me.”

“That idiot needs to stay out of my life,” Vegeta grumbled. “He continuously tries to father me, and now he’s sending someone else to do what he failed. I will say to you what I said to him. I never come to work with a hangover, and I am always alert. I would never go to work drunk, so there shouldn’t be a problem. What I do in my life is none of his business, and he should stay out of it. If it hasn’t affected my work, then we are done here. You have no reason to be concerned.”

“Actually, I do,” Raditz countered. “Vegeta, I’m not Rodney. He cares because of obligation to your father. I care because I am your friend, as is my brother. Drinking is not a healthy pastime and you know it.”

Raditz took another long sip of coffee before Vegeta responded. “You tell me this as you drink your poison,” he jeered. “You drink this stuff more than I drink alcohol, and yet you lecture me on what is a healthy pastime.”

Raditz chuckled slightly. “My ‘poison’ doesn’t impair my senses; yours does. I drink coffee to stay alert.”

“Did you not hear me?” Vegeta snapped. “I don’t come to work with impaired senses and—”

“Vegeta, do you honestly think this is about work?” Raditz questioned, shock evident in his eyes. “I’m not here because Rodney asked me to talk to you. I’m here because _I_ wanted to talk to you. I know you wouldn’t endanger other people, but you’re endangering yourself and that’s what worries me. So what if you don’t come into work with impaired senses? You’re still impaired after you drink. Vegeta, please, please just be careful.”

“I’m fine, Raditz,” Vegeta grumbled though he attempted to calm his friend’s worry. “It’s not like I drive anywhere; I don’t even have a car. I walk to places, and I don’t drink myself into oblivion so that I actually forget where my apartment is. I know my limits and I rarely cross them. You happy?”

“Somewhat,” Raditz replied. He still wasn’t convinced Vegeta wasn’t harming himself with his habit, but he could only hope that with this talk, he’d choose to stop. “So, how does it feel to be twenty-five?”

Thankful for the change in subject, Vegeta shrugged and said, “No different than twenty-four. Same old routine.”

Raditz chuckled. “You need to get out more. Seriously, Vegeta, my bro’s offer still stands from yesterday. We can go out somewhere tonight, maybe get you a girlfriend.”

Vegeta blushed slightly at Raditz’s humor. “I can’t,” he admitted. “I already have something to do later.”

“Really?” Raditz questioned. “With who?”

Vegeta debated on whether or not he should tell Raditz, but eventually he’d have to tell their little group. He figured he should get it over with so that he wouldn’t be there for the initial reactions of his other friend and guardian. “You remember yesterday,” he stated seriously. Raditz’s face became solemn as he nodded. “I went to the hospital to check on the girl, pretended to be her cousin to get information. She has nowhere to go right now. I offered for her to stay with me and she accepted. I’m just waiting for the call to pick her up.”

Raditz stared at him blankly for a moment. He honestly had no idea how to respond. Vegeta wasn’t completely selfish, but he never went out of his way like this to help out a random stranger, especially a woman. Raditz couldn’t remember the last time Vegeta had been around or talked about a woman. There had to be something special about this one. “Why? You know you could have gotten into a lot of trouble.”

Vegeta shrugged and drank some more of his coffee. “She said the same, but she made it work. They just think I’m a friend of hers.”

“Well, it might be good for you to have a woman in your life, even if you’re just playing the Good Samaritan,” Raditz stated matter-of-factly. “So around what time do you have to get her?”

Vegeta’s phone went off after Raditz asked displaying a number he didn’t know. “I guess now.”

“Need a ride?” Raditz asked. “I don’t need to go in for about another hour.”

Vegeta chugged down the rest of his coffee and answered, “Nah, we’ll take the subway. It’s quicker this time of day, unless you want to be stuck in lunch rush traffic.”

Raditz smirked, matching Vegeta’s. “Well, you better hurry then so you don’t keep the lady waiting. I hope you get her settled in without a hitch. If you need anything, call, okay?”

“Fine,” Vegeta replied before he got up from the table. “See you at work tomorrow. If it means so much to you and your brother, we’ll _discuss_ doing something for my birthday, but I can’t guarantee that I will agree.”

“Fair enough,” Raditz said as he stood up. “Good luck with everything today.”

After giving Raditz a single nod, Vegeta left the coffee shop and made his way to the hospital. He wound through the crowded city.

* * *

Bulma was sitting in a chair by the window; she looked down into the streets. She was waiting for Vegeta to come get her. She felt slightly guilty for the way she acted when she first saw him the previous night. Honestly, she was still getting over the fact that he took her away when she hadn’t wanted to leave. She did not want to leave her parents behind, but there was no choice and at least Vegeta understood that before she could.

She still couldn’t believe they were dead.

Numbness was not a feeling she expected to experience, but she assumed she was going through motions. Anger had been her first reaction because she didn’t want to go and was forced out, but now she could at least accept that her parents would have wanted her to get out alive. Resolving that had left her feeling numb. The fact that she couldn’t speak wasn’t even bothering her. She knew once Chi-Chi got back from her business trip, her friend could help her get the will and company dealt with. Chi-Chi would be her voice until hers returns.

Bulma then thought about Chi-Chi and how she would kill her for leaving the hospital with a stranger she barely knew despite him rescuing her. The woman felt like she could trust him, so she didn’t mind it. Chi-Chi wouldn’t be able to blame her either. She couldn’t call on her own, and she had lost her cell phone to text in the fire. She would have to have Vegeta explain things to her friend by phone later, and then when she got back and helped Bulma talk to the lawyers about the will, she could get a new phone so that she could text. Until then, she was dependent on others.

As she snapped out of her thoughts, Bulma saw Vegeta walk into the hospital from the sidewalk. Her eyes lit up at the thought of getting out of there. Despite the staff doing their best to make her feel welcome, she still felt awkward and very self-conscious. It was also still a stressful environment with doctors and nurses coming into her room every so often to question her symptoms and run tests to make sure she remained healthy. She didn’t really get much rest that night, but she probably wouldn’t have even if there weren’t doctors checking on her. Whatever sleep she did get was plagued by nightmares of the previous night. She still shook slightly anytime she thought about it.

The doctor brought Vegeta in, told him to watch Bulma closely and to call with updates. He also told Vegeta to make appointments for Bulma to come back for checkups. Vegeta took in all the doctor’s instructions and then was left alone with Bulma. “Alright, let’s get out of here,” he said with no emotion. “I’m sure you didn’t get much rest here.”

Bulma nodded and then focused on getting up. She was still a little weak and tired, but she managed to stand up from the bed. With the dry erase board, she made her way over to Vegeta and he surprised her when he outstretched his hand. When she didn’t take his hand, he took hers and led her from the room with her tailing behind him.

* * *

His apartment was larger than Bulma expected, but still very plain and empty. She figured that if he were to have such a large apartment that someone would already be staying there, but he seemed to live alone. He never said either way whether he lived alone or with someone, and she assumed the former since he hadn’t mentioned anyone else.

Bulma took the opportunity to observe her new surroundings and saw that was walls, shelves, and tables were bare of pictures and decorations. The living room was simple, contained a three-seater couch, a chair, a wooden coffee table which held only a few coasters, and a medium-sized, flat-screen TV. She turned her head to look at the kitchen and dining area. The sink was empty, the counters clear. There weren’t even any magnets on the refrigerator except for the ones from takeout restaurants. His dining room only held a dark brown table with black metal legs and four matching chairs with mauve, velvet cushioning. With how empty these first three rooms were, Bulma was concerned about the bedrooms. It almost seemed like the man in front of her was distant even from his home, but not knowing him, she couldn’t say.

Vegeta led her to her room and flipped the switch. She was right about this room also being empty, but she was both surprised and thankful that he had a closet stocked of clothes for her and the bed made with clean sheets and a flowery bedspread.

“I don’t normally have guests, so I hope this will be enough,” Vegeta said, the first thing he said since they left the hospital. “I will leave you to rest and you can come get me when you awake and I’ll start dinner.”

Bulma cast him a saddened glance before she turned to face him fully. Vegeta blinked at her unsure of what she wanted. She then looked away from him and to the floor. It was when he saw a few spots appear on his floor that he realized what she needed.

Vegeta was not one for emotion, and it had been a long time since he dealt with a woman, but if there was one thing he remembered from his mother, it was to comfort a hurting woman. The man sighed, walked over to the crying woman, and awkwardly put his arms around her. Bulma accepted the hug eagerly and buried herself into his chest as her body wracked with sobs.

The reality finally hit her when she entered the room. Not only was she overtired and already a wreck, but the reason she was here was because she lost her family and home in an instant. Had Vegeta not gone to her when she had no place to go, he didn’t know where she’d be. Maybe her family’s employees would have taken her in, but who knew for sure. For the first time in his life, he was glad that he decided against his own selfish desire. He would make sure she recovered. Anything less than that, he refused to accept.

He absentmindedly stroked her hair, and her shaking started to stop. She tilted her head to look at him, liquid pools still surrounding her eyes. Vegeta wiped them away and smirked slightly at her innocent stare. “Get some rest, Bulma,” he ordered. “You need it. I’ll be watching TV while I wait for you.”

Bulma nodded and then held her finger out telling him to wait. She lifted the plastic bag that was around her wrist full of things the hospital had given her. The board was what she needed, and she took it out and wrote out, _“Thank you_. _”_

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Vegeta walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. A tired sigh escaped, and he stepped to his own room, grabbed a blue blanket his mother knit for him almost fifteen years ago, and then went to sit in the living room. He turned on the television and hit a couple numbers, settling for some random program about the rainforest or something like that. His exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours finally took over and his short nap the night before didn’t help anything. He finally closed his eyes and decided to give into actual rest instead of an alcohol induced sleep. All he needed was a few hours, and then he would make dinner for him and Bulma. He figured he’d be up before her anyway, and then his consciousness went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he did know what woke him up. Still bleary with sleep, he didn’t remember his houseguest. All he knew was that he smelled something, something very good. It reminded him of mornings where he’d been woken up by the smell of bacon, his mother cooking and his father reading the paper when he rushed his way down the stairs for school. He smiled at the nostalgic feeling and allowed himself to rest longer, but then he snapped back to reality.

He lived alone and he smelled food cooking, and it smelled like bacon. _Shit, it’s morning!_ he mentally screamed to himself. He snapped awake and then looked over to the kitchen and saw Bulma working on breakfast. It was morning, and Vegeta hesitantly looked at the time. He was late for work.

Then he thought back to the night before. Why didn’t Bulma wake him up like he told her? He was pretty sure he let her know that he would be in the living room. Maybe she had been so exhausted that she hadn’t herself woken up that night. But then, why hadn’t he? He couldn’t have been that tired.

Bulma turned around with two plates of food in hand, but she paused in movement when she saw Vegeta staring at her. She slept all through the night and then found him earlier that morning. Actually, she woke up much earlier, showered, changed into the clothes Vegeta had for her, and then decided to prepare breakfast. She didn’t even think to wake him.

She continued to walk to the table, placed the breakfast dishes down, and motioned for him to join her with her hand. Vegeta still didn’t move but then his phone rang. He searched for it in his pocket and saw that it was Nappa who was calling.

“What?” he said as he answered the phone.

 _“What do you mean ‘what’?”_ the older man snapped. _“You’re two hours late for work! And Rodney has been asking about you all day. He was asking if you drank yourself into a stupor. Kid, what the hell is going on?”_

Vegeta grumbled under his breath and rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes. “You can tell Rodney that I’m fine. It’s none of his business if I went out last night, but to assure you, Nappa, I didn’t go anywhere last night. Ask Raditz for the details, but don’t go spreading it around. Tell him I said to tell you so you don’t blow a gasket. I’ll be in later; I just woke up.”

 _“Fine, but we’re going to have a talk later, get it?”_ Nappa said sternly. _“Dinner, tonight.”_

“Can’t, company,” Vegeta replied. “Just talk to Raditz.” Vegeta didn’t wait for him to respond before he hung up the phone and threw it onto the table. Then he sighed in frustration and buried his face in his hands. He really wanted to punch Rodney for saying stuff like that to Nappa. Vegeta knew his guardian wouldn’t be as laidback as Raditz. If Nappa thought Vegeta had a problem, he would go all protective and lecture him for hours until Vegeta agreed to his terms. He was a good guardian like that but, the thing was, Vegeta wasn’t a kid anymore. It was his time to make his own decisions. Nappa couldn’t ground him like he used to.

Bulma sat down next to him on the couch and placed her board on his lap. Vegeta chuckled when he saw the written, _“What’s wrong?”_

“Nothing,” he answered. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just late.”

Bulma took the board back and then slid it back into his lap. _“Sorry I didn’t wake you. I didn’t know.”_

“It’s not a big deal,” Vegeta answered back as he handed the board back to her. “It’s been a long week, so I’m going to take my time today. Thanks for making breakfast. You didn’t have to.”

He flashed the woman a small smirk before he lifted himself from the couch. Bulma smiled and followed him into the dining area. The two of them ate breakfast in silence, though Bulma watched Vegeta carefully. The scientist in her told her to observe her host to learn more about him. Seeing as he was a silent type, that never proved to be more true.

* * *

“Finally!” Nappa exclaimed when Vegeta entered the firehouse. It was early afternoon, around lunch time, by the time Vegeta finally arrived at the firehouse. He was planning to stay a little bit later that night and brought a sandwich for dinner that he shoved into his locker. Bulma assured him that she’d be fine on her own for the night. After all, she wasn’t an invalid; only her voice was damaged. She made sure to point that out regarding the fact that she had been quicker to get ready that morning and cook without knowing where everything was stored at first. He couldn’t argue with that.

“Good to see you too, Nappa,” Vegeta muttered unenthusiastically. He glanced over to Raditz. “Did you tell him?”

“Yes,” Raditz told him. “Guess who overheard.”

“Son of a bitch,” Vegeta sighed. “So did that idiot run to Rodney again?”

“Of course,” Raditz remarked. “I’d be surprised if the entire precinct didn’t know by now. Doesn’t matter. Anyway, how is she?”

Vegeta shrugged. “All things considered, fine. She was overwhelmed last night, which is to be expected. This morning she seemed more upbeat and pretty much made herself at home and made breakfast.”

“Where were you?” Nappa questioned.

“Asleep on the couch,” Vegeta muttered. “I told her to wake me up last night to cook dinner, but I assume we were both out for the night.”

“Okay,” Nappa replied, though he still stared at the youth with unspoken accusation.

Vegeta sighed. “What?”

“I still want to talk to you tonight,” Nappa told him. “When we get off, you and I are going out. I’ll pay for you to bring something back for the girl, but we are going to have a discussion.”

“Whatever you say, Nappa,” Vegeta surrendered. “Anything today?”

“Just a couple of calls that ended up being people burning leaves ad debris in their yards,” Raditz reported. “Kakarot is out with Rodney now answering one of those calls. Morons…burning isn’t permitted in this city. I don’t know why they continue to try.”

“Probably tourists or people who were used to it from towns that allow it,” Vegeta pointed out. “Let’s hope the rest of the day is these minor calls.”

“Yeah, I know,” Raditz replied. “Yesterday was bad. Getting the fire contained was easy, but the fire detectives said there was a death count of twelve, including the girl’s parents.”

Vegeta’s fists clenched as he thought of how many of the twelve could have been parents to young children. It was bad enough Bulma lost her parents. He shook his head, trying not to land on the thoughts for too long. He _couldn’t_ think about it too long. “Did they figure out a cause?” he asked Nappa to move the conversation along.

“Yeah, kid. It was a new experiment they were working on. A couple of the employees that made it out said they were working on some weapon that ended up backfiring during testing. The people involved in the physical testing didn’t make it out. Just some of those who were watching did. The doctor, his wife, and daughter were on the other side of the house. The fire spread fast.”

“Was the lab up to code?” Raditz questioned. “Surely there should have been precautions when dealing with stuff like that.”

“The sprinklers were jammed, but they wouldn’t have made much of a difference according to the workers,” Nappa continued. “Honestly, I don’t think labs like that should be in homes like this one was. It’s a real shame that that girl is without a home.”

“What girl?” They turned to see that Kakarot was back, his face sported a goofy grin. “Oh, you mean the girl at Vegeta’s house, from the fire, right?”

Vegeta slapped his hand to his face. “News really did spread fast,” he muttered. He honestly hadn’t wanted Kakarot to know. His friend would hound him for a while.

“Hey, it’s really nice that you let her stay over,” Kakarot praised. “She has no place to go right now, right? Anyways, I hope she’s doing well. Maybe when she feels up to going out we could—”

“Kakarot, enough,” Vegeta grunted. “I haven’t discussed much with her yet. I don’t know if there’s anyone she needs me to call or not.”

“Why doesn’t she call?” Kakarot asked. “I mean, she’s got phone access.”

Vegeta got unusually quiet before he muttered, “She can’t talk. Too much smoke inhalation…damaged her vocal cords.”

“Oh.”

Raditz placed a hand on Vegeta’s shoulder and grinned at him. “Don’t let Rodney or anyone else give you shit. You’re doing a good thing, and you should be proud.”

Vegeta scoffed. “You make it sound like the rumor has taken a turn for the worse. Something none of you are telling me?”

“Vegeta!”

“Never mind,” Vegeta growled as he heard his boss call him. “I think I’m about to find out.”

* * *

Bulma decided to watch a little TV but avoided all major news channels. All they would be talking about today was the Capsule Corp. fire and the chaos from the fact that the daughter of Dr. Briefs was nowhere to be found. The only information they had was that she was brought to the hospital. They didn’t know that a stranger picked her up and took her to his apartment in some random corner of the city. She was perfectly fine with not being badgered by media when she couldn’t even speak to dispel rumors they would obviously create.

The biggest rumor she anticipated was that the blame of the fire would be placed on her father’s inventions. Truth be told, her father told the employees not to run any military weapons until he had a final glance. This incident occurred on her father’s day off and during her break. She also told them not to run any tests. The employees were arrogant, and they didn’t believe they needed either the president or his daughter looking them over. The blame was going to be placed on her father, though, only because the employees would want to save their hides and the man in question couldn’t defend himself. Just wait until she could talk. She knew exactly who to fire too. Once she got in touch with Chi-Chi, they would be the first to go.

But the first thing Bulma needed was Vegeta to come home so she could ask his for his help. She knew that the previous night she needed the rest, and she was thankful that Vegeta acted as her shoulder to cry on. He was trying to be there for her even though he barely knew her, other than the fact that she was the girl he saved from the fire who lost her parents. Well, she hoped that they could be more than that to each other—rescuer and rescuee. She hoped they could become friends. He seemed socially awkward, so maybe her presence would be good for him. He already seemed to respond positively to her. So far, every time they’ve interacted he acted caring towards her or seemed content.

Of course, she only knew him for about a day, so she didn’t know as much as she wanted. Vegeta didn’t seem like a talker, so she didn’t think she could pry for information from the source. It would be easier for her if she could just ask him about himself instead of writing down a bunch of questions.

That didn’t sound like a bad idea now that she had thought about it. Maybe she should write down some questions for him to answer. That would help in getting to know him better. Well, she had nothing better to do except keep busy, so she made it her mission to find a notepad and pen in this overly pristine home. It shouldn’t have been too hard. Where else would a neat freak keep those types of things but in a desk?

* * *

Vegeta was frustrated after he left Rodney’s office. It was one thing to accuse him of drinking, but it was a whole different story when his boss implied that he was trying to take advantage of a young girl. Now Raditz’s warning made complete sense. Vegeta did a good deed, and someone was twisting it. And he knew who that someone was.

“Yamcha,” Vegeta nearly growled when he stepped up to his fellow firefighter.

“Oh, hey Vegeta,” he replied casually. He looked over to the two volunteers he was talking to and said, “I’ll catch you two later.”

The volunteers nodded nervously and decided it was best to get away from the two in front of them. They already heard the rumors and knew they didn’t want to be in the middle of it.

“How dare you?” Vegeta questioned. Yamcha was about to respond, but Vegeta stopped him. “No, how dare you? You think you can go around spreading rumors about me, my life, and my motives, and think you can just get away with speaking to me. What do you hope to gain blaspheming my name to Rodney?”

Yamcha smirked a little. “Please, get off your high horse,” Yamcha replied. “I see how you are, acting like you own the place because your father used to work here. I’m simply informing Rodney of who you really are: a drunk who uses his position to get a traumatized girl to live with him.”

“You know nothing about me,” Vegeta said darkly, “and it would be in your best interest to leave me be.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, I am just informing you that you know nothing about me or my life and why I do what I do,” Vegeta answered. “I have done nothing to get you into trouble, but if you keep dragging my name in the mud, then I won’t be afraid to tell Rodney the _real_ reason you saw me at the bar. I’m sure he’d love to hear it.”

“You wouldn’t,” Yamcha retorted. “You don’t have the guts.”

Vegeta let out a series of chuckles. “Really?” he countered. “I don’t have the guts? I was the only one to run into that burning building yesterday despite there being nearly no access points. I have nothing to lose, Yamcha. If Rodney ever did fire me based off the lies you tell him, I would blow your secrets and then I would find another precinct that would take me. I only chose here for personal reasons that a coward like you would never understand.”

Yamcha didn’t respond, but he wanted to. There was really nothing he could say, so he just walked away. Right after that, Nappa came out from behind the corner.

“What do you have on him, Vegeta?” his guardian questioned.

“Nothing major,” Vegeta mumbled. “Him buying drinks for underage women and leaving with them, every night I’ve happened to go for some drinks.”

“About that,” Nappa started to say, but Vegeta held his hand up to stop him.

“I already got the lecture from Raditz,” he said. “I’m safe about it. That’s all you need to worry about right now.”

“Vegeta, I worry about you,” Nappa admitted. “I only see you at work now unless I go out of my way to force you out of the apartment. Raditz and Kakarot can barely coax you out of there. Vegeta, I’m worried that you dropped yourself into a depression. How long has this drinking thing gone on?”

Vegeta didn’t want to tell him, because then Nappa would either feel guilty or try to drive him back into his place. Unfortunately, Vegeta felt compelled to tell Nappa the truth. It was all the older man ever asked of him.

“Since I left,” he told him. “Once I was out on my own and turned twenty-one, it was easy to get it. I don’t drink a lot, but I drink often, usually just enough to numb the anxiety. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t have any last night.”

“Vegeta, it’s not healthy,” Nappa explained to him. “And why the heck are you feeling anxiety? You know you can talk to me. You always used to.”

“Nappa, I’m sick of talking,” Vegeta said in exasperation. “I want to forget; I don’t want to remember. But at the same time, I don’t want to completely forget.”

“I understand,” Nappa whispered, “believe me I do, but your parents wouldn’t want you to drink as a way to forget. They’d want you to move on and live your life instead of locking yourself away in an apartment. They wouldn’t want you to be alone like you have been.”

“Heh,” Vegeta chuckled, “well then they have their wish now, don’t they? I finally have a houseguest, so I’m not exactly alone.”

“You know what I mean, kid,” Nappa laughed. “Anyway, will you let us be there for you?”

“If only you all stop haunting me about my drinking, fine,” Vegeta said. “Like I said, I never drink enough to impair me. Everyone needs to stop treating me like I’m a lush.”

“I make no promises, Vegeta,” Nappa answered. “I’ll always be overprotective of you, and if you don’t like it that’s tough, because I made a promise to your parents and to you that I would be. If you ever get fully drunk around me even once, I’m signing you up for rehab and accompanying you there, got it.”

“Fine, because it will never happen,” Vegeta retorted. “You guys make plans and let me know. I’d like to give my houseguest warning, especially if she decides to come with us.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Nappa said. “Now get back to work. We got another call.”

“Oh great.”

* * *

Vegeta returned home late at night. He was kept late and then decided to go for a walk and go over the day in his head. Right now, he really did want to head home and have a drink but, out of respect for Nappa, he decided against it. He knew what he was doing wasn’t the best in the long run for his health, but he didn’t want to hear about it. What he told Yamcha was the truth. He had nothing to lose, and that was how he wanted to keep it. If he didn’t have anything to lose, it would hurt him when it was gone.

He wondered where Bulma was when he entered the apartment. The light shone from the living room, so he decided to check there first. He found her asleep on the couch, wrapped in the blanket he left there that morning with the television stationed on a chick flick of some sort. It seemed she found his notepads and pens, and it looked like she kept busy and wrote a lot down. Vegeta planned on going through it with her in the morning. Tomorrow he would make sure to be up early to avoid today’s mishaps.

Vegeta turned the TV off and took one of the pads off of Bulma’s chest. Once it was off of her, her body responded unconsciously and curled into his blanket. He couldn’t fight the small smile on his face. It made him feel better knowing that the woman could still sleep peacefully. Making sure she was completely covered, Vegeta made his way to his room and changed for bed as he did every night, but unlike the other nights he went to sleep thinking of what the next day would hold and what exactly Bulma needed to tell him. The unknown made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time—anticipation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta’s alarm rang out in his room and he jolted awake. He nearly slammed his hand on the clock before he got out of bed and stretched out his arms. As he walked over to his closet, he yawned. He pulled out a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants and quickly changed. Then he left his room behind and went to the living room to find Bulma. Surprisingly, she was already awake.

“You’re up early,” Vegeta mused.

Bulma jolted her head up from her notes, smiled, and nodded. She wrote down, _“I’m used to it_ , _”_ on her board and then motioned for her host to come sit near her. He obliged and she placed the notepads she used the day before on his lap. He began to read them and was surprised at how detailed about everything she was.

_“My name is Bulma, as you know, and I am twenty-three years old. My birthday is in a month. I worked as an engineer and the vice-president of my father’s company. The accident was not my father’s fault like the news keeps saying. We told our workers not to run any tests on the weapon until either my dad or myself looked at it. They waited until his day off while I was on lunch break with my parents. I need you to call my friend, Chi-Chi, and tell her what’s going on, because she’ll have to act as company head until I can get my voice back, and she will also have to help me discuss my parents’ will with the lawyers. They made me the executor and things have to be done with the company, and for the families of our workers that…”_

Bulma had stopped writing there which is probably why he found the pad on her the night before. She must have fallen asleep writing that, or maybe even got emotional. Well, she seemed to be holding together well this morning, though Vegeta wondered if she was just putting on a happy face for him since he was her host. “What’s this Chi-Chi woman’s number?” he asked her. Bulma flipped the page over and pointed to her friend’s number that she wrote down along with a few other numbers. “Alright, what would you like me to say?”

Bulma frowned and then looked away. She knew he was going to have to explain to Chi-Chi what happened, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear someone else saying that her parents were gone. It was bad enough it was all over the news and that she had to accept it and try to save the company’s name, but she didn’t think she could handle hearing it and have her friend wanting to talk to her when she couldn’t even respond. She flipped a few pages in another notebook to show Vegeta what she wanted him to tell her friend.

Vegeta took the notebook from her and looked down at what he needed to say. Of course it wouldn’t be as eloquent as Bulma wrote it, but he got the gist of what he needed to convey to her friend. He took out his cell phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times before a woman picked up.

 _“Hello, Chi-Chi Ox speaking,”_ her voice rang. _“Who is this?”_

“Listen,” Vegeta started, “there was a fire at your friend, Bulma’s, house. Right now, she’s with me at my apartment. I’ll send you an address later.”

There was silence for a moment before the woman growled, _“Put…my friend…on the phone…now.”_

“I can’t,” Vegeta admitted. “The smoke damaged her vocal cords, and she can’t talk. She needs you to get back as soon as possible. The company’s name is being dragged through the mud right now because some of those workers are trying to cover their own asses. She needs you to run a press conference and manage the company with her for a while until she can speak for herself.”

 _“Why aren’t her parents taking care of things?”_ Chi-Chi asked. _“And who exactly are you?”_

“My name is Vegeta Kurobushi,” he answered. “I’m the firefighter that got her out of the house. As for your other question…they can’t. I’d rather not say the reason.”

 _“Bulma is with you, isn’t she?”_ the woman questioned with worry. _“Her parents didn’t make it, did they?”_

“Yes and no,” Vegeta answered blandly. “Anyway, I’ll text you my address. When you get back in town, let me know.”

 _“Right,”_ Chi-Chi breathed out still trying to process the news. She didn’t get the chance to say anything else before Vegeta hung up the phone and texted the address to her. He looked over to Bulma who was writing down more information, probably what she needed to discuss with her friend.

He placed his phone on the coffee table before he returned to his spot next to Bulma. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from writing causing her to look at him in confusion. “My friends and guardian want to take me out sometime this week for my birthday,” he told her. “Would you be interested in coming?”

Bulma’s eyes lit up; she smiled and nodded. _“When is your birthday?”_ she wrote.

“Two days ago,” Vegeta admitted with reluctance. He saw Bulma frown at him, looked away to the television screen, and picked up the remote to turn on the news. She tugged on his shoulder and looked at him with a stern expression. He didn’t know why she was looking at him with those interrogating eyes, but he could not tear his away from hers. It was like all time stopped in his mind before she placed her board in his lap.

 _“Happy Birthday,”_ it said, _“and thank you for giving up your day for me.”_

“Heh,” Vegeta laughed slightly, “you make it sound like I planned on celebrating.” She was about to erase her messages and write more questions, but Vegeta placed his hands over hers. “This discussion is over.” And then he stood up, walked away to begin getting ready for work, and left Bulma alone on the couch with more questions about the kind stranger who let her into his life.

* * *

“Did you talk to him?”

Nappa sighed when Rodney came to him. Yes, he spoke with Vegeta, but Rodney didn’t need to know what was discussed. He would only go to Vegeta and lecture him harder and longer. “The boy is fine,” he settled for. “We already discussed everything.”

“So his drinking?” Rodney pressed.

Nappa scoffed and crossed his arms. “Yamcha blew it way out of proportion,” Nappa informed him. “Don’t worry about Vegeta. If it actually does become a problem, I will handle it.”

“Will you?” Rodney questioned with accusation in his voice.

Nappa glared at the man. “Is there a reason I wouldn’t?” he asked. “I _am_ his guardian, aren’t I?”

“Because we all know you’ve done such a good job with that.”

And there it was, the reason Rodney seemed to poke and prod into Vegeta’s life. He always argued with Nappa when Vegeta was a child about what should be done. Rodney always told Nappa to quit the precinct and leave the city, get Vegeta involved in a school somewhere out of the city for a better education. That was not a feasible solution, and Nappa remained at the precinct, got Vegeta involved there after the youth graduated high school. It was what Vegeta wanted, to follow in the footsteps of his father, and Nappa wanted to give him that. Rodney never seemed to approve of Vegeta working there and being so close to the action, but Nappa saw no problem with it. His job was to protect and care for Vegeta, and it was easy to do especially when they worked together.

“I have,” Nappa stated forcefully. “And that is why I am making sure that he is okay. Vegeta and his wife left him in my care, not yours, Rodney.”

“That was a mistake on their part,” Rodney replied.

 _Says you,_ Nappa thought quietly. “We’re done here,” the bald man said before he left the man’s office, not allowing another word to be spoken.

* * *

Nappa found Raditz chatting with one of the female volunteers, both getting some coffee to wake themselves up in the early morning. Kakarot was watching the morning news with a serious expression. Hopefully Vegeta would be on time that day.

As soon as he thought that, Vegeta strode in looking ready to work. Nappa smirked slightly, happy to see him. Vegeta looked alert and fairly calm, and that was a relief to the guardian.

“Morning, kid,” he greeted.

Vegeta snorted mockingly at being called a ‘kid’, but he never minded the nickname as long as it came from Nappa. “Morning,” he replied. “What’s going on? You look more flustered than usual.”

Nappa was surprised that Vegeta knew something happened. “Eh, it’s nothing to worry about, kid,” he assured him. “Just an early morning. How was your night?”

“Decent,” Vegeta answered. “Did you make plans with the guys yet?”

“Nah, not yet,” Nappa answered. “We all pretty much just got here, and as you can see Raditz is indisposed.”

Vegeta looked over at the coffee station and chuckled when he saw his friend talking to a girl. “Yes, we’ll be waiting awhile until he runs out of pickup lines,” he joked.

“Hey,” Nappa said with a laugh, “be nice. She’s actually the only girl he’s been actively pursuing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vegeta agreed with humor in his voice. “Well, better him than me.”

Before Nappa could ask Vegeta what he meant by his statement, the youth decided to join Kakarot in watching the news. Neither of the boys said anything, but it was nice to see them hanging out in some way. Nappa couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that appeared on his face. They seriously needed to work on getting Vegeta out more to be more social. It was something he definitely needed.

* * *

Yamcha watched Vegeta with disgust as he joked around with the younger firefighter. He acted so cool and tough around his so-called ‘friends’, but they obviously didn’t know the type of guy he was. Vegeta was an entitled _child_ in Yamcha’s mind, but he had to take a step back from revealing who he thought Vegeta was. If he wasn’t careful, Vegeta would take him down with him. The spineless voice in his mind wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Still, he could make Vegeta’s life miserable without revealing who he was. Antagonizing the guy didn’t seem like a good idea when he was sober but getting him into trouble at the bar would be amazing. If Vegeta’s pattern held up, he’d be there tonight drinking himself into a stupor. That would be when Yamcha made his move. Maybe with an audience, he could finally get Vegeta off his high horse. Then maybe he wouldn’t be looking at him like he was morally superior. He was just as lowly as he was, and Yamcha would make sure his little crew saw it.

* * *

“So, how is Bulma?” Kakarot asked when Vegeta sat down next to him.

The flame-haired youth crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch. “I would say fine, but honestly she must be raging inside, and she doesn’t even have an outlet,” he explained. “She can’t talk or yell or scream like I did when I lost my parents. She even has to be careful about crying because the doctor said she can’t make a sound until she’s healed. It must be hell for her, not being able to do this all herself.”

Kakarot frowned, but he quickly smiled and tried to assure his friend. “But she has you right now, right?” he reminded him. “You can help her get through it. You did.”

Vegeta wanted to tell his friend that that wasn’t entirely accurate, but he didn’t have the heart. If Raditz hadn’t spilled to him, he wouldn’t either. Kakarot didn’t need to know about the supposed problems he had. It wasn’t horrible since Vegeta could control how much he drank and when he wanted it. Still, he wanted it a lot more than he should, although he was surprised that he really hadn’t needed it the last couple of days. Maybe tonight he’d head to the bar for his usual before returning home.

“Hey you two,” Raditz said as he approached to them. He set his mug down on the table and kicked back. “So, Nappa said Vegeta agreed to have us celebrate his birthday. I guess we should head somewhere tonight.”

 _Damn,_ Vegeta thought. _There goes my plans._ He could have sworn that Raditz and Nappa were conspiring against him. “Should we?” Vegeta retorted. “And where do you think we should go?”

Raditz shrugged. “Anywhere you want to go?”

Vegeta glared at Raditz because he knew where he wanted to go. He could see it in his friend’s eyes. Before he could answer, Kakarot said something that ended up saving him. “Hey, let’s try that new buffet on South Street. It’s pretty cheap since it’s the opening and it’s all-you-can-eat.”

Vegeta answered with a shrug and said, “I’m game. Bulma will come with us.”

“Well of course,” Kakarot replied. “You didn’t think we’d leave her out, did you? She’s your friend now.”

Vegeta opened his mouth to say that wasn’t true but thought against it. “Yes, Kakarot, she is.”

* * *

Bulma felt relieved now that Chi-Chi knew her plight. Before Vegeta left, her concerned friend texted him and told him she was getting on the next available flight back to the states. Then, her friend declared Bulma would stay with her. Vegeta accepted, but Bulma didn’t know if she wanted to leave. If she was with Chi-Chi, she would be surrounded by reminders. The most she wanted was to be able to gain access to her account to go buy some personal items and clothes and get a new license. Chi-Chi needed to help her with that.

But did Bulma really want to leave Vegeta’s apartment? Would he be upset if she asked to stay? She hoped he wouldn’t be. It was a big favor to ask a guy she met only days ago, but she just couldn’t stay in a house that resembled her own that held so many memories of hers and Chi-Chi’s parents. She definitely didn’t want to deal with Chi-Chi’s father who would no doubt hover over her every second. Bulma wanted to mourn and cope her own way, and right now that was avoiding memories until she could come to terms with the fact that her parents were gone. She just hoped that when that did happen, she wouldn’t have a colossal breakdown. Neither her friend nor Vegeta needed that.

She found herself cleaning up Vegeta’s apartment, not that it wasn’t clean already. She just happened to notice dust and that there were a few dishes in the sink from breakfast. Vegeta left right after they ate to avoid the same problems he ran into the day before. So, washing the dishes and drying them was what Bulma settled on doing to pass the time. It made her wonder why Vegeta had a drainboard if he never left the dishes to dry. She chuckled at his strange idiosyncrasies. She couldn’t be one to judge. She always lived in a messy room, and her father’s server bots were the ones to take care of everything unless her mother beat them to it.

Bulma found herself smiling, but then frowned because she knew she would no longer see her mother racing the robots to the sink or oven. Her dad would never make a repair when her mother ‘accidentally’ spilled water into the circuitry. Most likely, she would never even own a server bot again. It was bad enough capsules would always be present because almost everything came in capsules or stored in them now. There would definitely be no more weaponry and, if her scientists had a problem with that, they could find employment elsewhere. They already went against their contracts by disobeying the president and head scientist of the company.

Bulma didn’t want to blame her employees for the fire, but the truth was she couldn’t deny it. Thankfully, Chi-Chi would be there the next day and her friend could call for the press conference. All Bulma wanted was for the rumors about her father’s incompetency to stop. It was the fault of those who tested the equipment that he lost his life. It was their fault that her family died and she had no home. They were just lucky that she wasn’t pressing charges or firing them right away. Some of the workers would remain employed provided they agree to never invent, build, or test weapons ever again. Capsule Corp. would be strictly home management. The most she would do was finish the design for a gravity chamber her and her father had worked on for training astronauts. With the space program being underfunded, though, that would probably never happen. It didn’t matter to her. She would just continue to work on the home improvement front.

The television was starting to be her least favorite thing in the house. She would try to watch TV, but then it would skip to some news about Capsule Corp. Weren’t there any other disasters they could talk about? Bulma felt that they should be more sympathetic and not trash her father on TV while she could be watching somewhere else. Surely people weren’t this obsessed with her father’s company. Sure, they would want to know the new management, but the news crew made it clear that they knew she had been treated at the hospital and the doctor told them she left with a friend to recover for a while. Wouldn’t they stop at that point? It wasn’t worth it to be a celebrity.

Bulma really wished she could yell at the TV and say that it was all lies, that her father wasn’t responsible for the death of twelve people and the injuries of dozens more. It was a wonder she hadn’t flipped out already. If it wasn’t doctor’s orders, she’d be down there holding a press conference that day and refuting the workers’ lies. She didn’t blame them for wanting to save their careers, but when it came out that they were trying to place blame on a man who couldn’t even defend himself their careers would be over immediately.

Bulma didn’t want to screw over her employees, but because they lied it would happen. She was thinking too far ahead, though. Really, she was just in the mood to nap. The doctor told her to get plenty of rest, anyway. Having finished the dishes, she decided a short nap would be welcome and headed to her temporary room. She would have to ask Vegeta when he came home what he thought about her staying. For some reason, she didn’t seem worried that he would deny her request.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta came home right after work and found Bulma reading one of his war books in the living room. It surprised him that she got so far in the book in such a short time. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She snapped out of her reading trance, looked up, and flashed him a smile. After a small wave, she patted the spot next to her on the couch. Vegeta eyed her curiously before he moved towards her. When he sat down, she took a deep breath and then let it out while she stared at the coffee table.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, able to read her body language. She seemed surprised that he picked up on it. “Are you feeling okay?”

Bulma’s again lips curved into a smile, flattered that Vegeta seemed to be so worried about her and her health. She answered him with a nod before she wrote another message. _“I know Chi-Chi wanted me to stay with her, but I don’t know if I can do it. Would it be too much of an inconvenience if I stayed longer? It’s okay if you say no. I just don’t know how I’ll feel in her home. Too many…”_ She paused in her writing and wondered if Vegeta would understand what she was going to say.

“Memories,” Vegeta finished. When he saw Bulma look away, he knew he hit it dead on. Her staying was not a problem for him, and he understood. When his parents had passed away, he wasn’t able to stay in his house. Nappa would have stayed with him, but Vegeta refused to stay there. All of his parents’ belongings were stored away for the longest time, until he was sixteen years old. Had it really been a decade since he had somewhat come to terms with their death? It seemed so long ago to him. But that was the point. It took him six years to want to remember all the stuff he could about his parents. Bulma only lost hers a few days ago. Time was something she needed, and it was something he could give to her.

“You are welcome to stay as long as you need,” he assured her. He tried to ignore the beaming expression on her face. She looked so thankful, and he was never good with taking anyone’s praise. “Think nothing of it. Just focus on recovery, alright?”

 _“Yeah,”_ Bulma wrote. Then she noticed that he looked somewhat rundown. _“You look tired.”_

“Yeah,” he responded. “My buddies at work have spent the last two days interrogating me and now they want to take me out. Then afterwards, my boss had me manning the refiling of all the past reports. No big deal.”

 _“Is it because I made you late?”_ Bulma asked. She didn’t want to get him in trouble at work.

“Nah,” Vegeta said as he waved her off. “My boss likes to father me, and I refuse to let him, so this is his way of punishing me for what he deems I’ve done wrong.”

Bulma frowned; anger displayed itself on her face. _“That’s rude,”_ she responded. _“Well, at least it’s something you can handle, right?”_

“Heh,” Vegeta replied. “You don’t have to worry about me. Anyway, tonight we’re going out. The guys decided that we’re going to go to that new buffet.”

 _“That sounds nice.”_ Bulma smiled at Vegeta who wasn’t looking at her. He seemed like a really nice guy, so she couldn’t wait to meet his friends. Hopefully, it would be the distraction she needed, even for just the night. _“I’ll go get changed.”_

Vegeta watched Bulma as she walked out of the living room. He had been surprised that she requested to stay longer, but again he understood it. She needed to take a step back for a while. The only thing that affected him was that he would be looking out for her for a while longer. Despite his desire to be alone, he didn’t feel like Bulma imposed too much on his life. Maybe he really had needed someone else, or maybe that was Kakarot’s ramblings talking in his mind. Either way, he did not mind the Briefs woman staying with him. He did not know whether he should be worried about the change or not.

Looking at his phone, he checked the time and saw that he had a message from the girl, Chi-Chi. She wanted to know what time she should pick up Bulma the next day and asked for his address again since her phone deleted it. Vegeta, not wanting to deal with her attitude again, just turned his phone on silent and stuffed it in his pocket. When Bulma was done changing, they would go meet up with his friends. He hoped that this night out would be what Bulma needed. At least one of them would enjoy themselves.

* * *

Kakarot was packing up with his brother while he prattled along about all the different foods he hoped would be at the buffet. Rodney happened to be near the lockers and overheard their conversation.

“You’re going to that new buffet?” he asked. “Do you know if it’s any good?”

“It should be,” Kakarot stated cheerily. “It’s a buffet, after all. They’re all good.”

“Why are you going?” Rodney continued to question. “Brothers’ night out?”

Raditz cast Kakarot a warning look, but the naïve, twenty-two-year-old didn’t seem to notice. “We’re going to celebrate Vegeta’s birthday tonight,” he answered as he took his lunch bag out of his locker and shutt the door.

“Wouldn’t a sports bar be better than a buffet?” Yamcha asked appearing from nowhere. “I hear he enjoys frequenting those.”

Raditz rolled his eyes. He had hoped to avoid confrontation. At most he was expecting Kakarot’s slip to result in Rodney asking to tag along. He had no idea that Yamcha was skulking around the firehouse waiting for another chance to undermine Vegeta. “Nah, occasionally,” Raditz countered. “We all wanted to try this new place.” Then he glared threateningly at Yamcha. “But you should watch the things you say, especially when you’re passing judgment.”

Kakarot looked between his brother and Yamcha who seemed to be having a stare down, but what surprised him was Rodney’s displeasure and the fact that he was saying nothing. It seemed like he wanted to hear what both Yamcha and Raditz had to say about whatever this was about. All he knew was Yamcha mentioned going to a sport bar and Vegeta frequenting them, but that couldn’t be right. The spiky-haired firefighter didn’t even think Vegeta drank. If he did, he never did around him except for a beer if he ever came over for sporting events, and the last time he was over was a long time ago.

“Anyways,” young Kakarot murmured, “we should probably head out. Nappa said he’d pick up Vegeta and Bulma and meet us there.”

“Right,” Raditz said while he continued to glare at Yamcha. The long-haired, twenty-eight-year-old silently dared Yamcha to make a remark about Bulma. Yamcha looked away denying the challenge Raditz silently posed. Rodney, as boss of the firehouse, stepped in between the two boys and ended the conflict.

“You boys have fun tonight,” he said referring to the brothers. “Tell Vegeta I said ‘hello’.”

“Will do,” Kakarot stated seriously as the aura surrounding the four got too heavy for his naivety. He then started to push Raditz out of the building and shouted, “See ya tomorrow, boss!”

Yamcha and Rodney exchanged glances before the latter returned to his office. Yamcha, however, decided that he had other plans. He smirked slightly at the thought that he could finally catch Vegeta doing something wrong. He made his decision; he was going to a buffet tonight. If Vegeta was using this girl in any way, he’d figure it out by observing them that night.

* * *

“So, has Vegeta been good to you, miss?” Nappa asked as he sat back in a chair. “He’s not usually very sociable.”

“Hmp,” Vegeta scoffed. He crossed his arms, buried his chin in his chest, and looked away from both his guardian and Bulma.

Bulma silently chuckled at Vegeta’s reaction and wrote down an answer to Nappa’s question. _“He’s been very good to me. And it’s okay that he’s not sociable. I can’t exactly hold a full conversation with him anyways.”_

Nappa frowned and said, “Yeah, I know. The kid told me about that. How long did the doctor say you had to wait to talk?”

_“He doesn’t know.”_

Nappa grew quiet, so Vegeta got curious and looked at the board. He was surprised to see that the doctor hadn’t given Bulma a date. All he knew was she had to go back in a couple of weeks for a checkup to see if the damage had repaired itself, but he had no idea that this woman didn’t know when she’d be able to speak again.

 _“That and some other things are reasons that I want to stay here and not with my friend,”_ Bulma continued to explain. _“I love her, but that girl is chatty.”_

Nappa laughed at the rest of what she wrote and shook his head. “You’re all right, girlie,” he said giving her a nickname. Vegeta tilted his head questioningly but Nappa ignored him. “Anyways, the three of us should get going. Raditz and Kakarot are probably already on their way to the buffet.”

“Lead the way,” Vegeta voiced. Nappa’s attention was drawn to him. The guarded way Vegeta stood concerned him, but he didn’t understand why Vegeta seemed so nervous. It’s not as if the group hadn’t gone out before, but the last group outing was a while ago. Nappa couldn’t even remember how many months it had been. First it was the alcohol, now this reclusiveness. If Vegeta didn’t shape up soon, Nappa was definitely getting him involved in some type of program. Well, maybe Raditz was right. This girl staying with Vegeta might actually be a good thing. The youth was already starting to get out more.

* * *

The restaurant was fairly crowded considering the buffet just opened recently. That only meant Vegeta had more people to endure. He didn’t hate people or anything like that, but he didn’t like being in large crowds anymore.

“So Bulma,” Kakarot spoke up breaking through Vegeta’s thoughts, “happy to get out of the house?”

Bulma nodded an answer but went back to eating the food on her plate. She was still on her first plate while the men were all on their second or even third helpings. She wondered how they ate all that food but that’s how most guys were and, somehow, they were able to stay in great physical shape on top of it. Maybe it was because they were so active as firefighters or they could work out at work. Bulma didn’t know. It just made her curious.

Vegeta ate quietly, barely engaged in conversation with the others. Bulma noticed it as well as Nappa. “Hey kid,” he said to get Vegeta’s attention, “you’re barely touching your second helping. You okay?”

“I’m fine, Nappa,” Vegeta lied. Truth was he just wanted to get out of the buffet and go home. He knew Bulma would be coming with him, but he figured she’d leave him alone to brood. Coming out had been a huge mistake. All these different foods reminded him of when he used to cook with his mother. He didn’t even want to look at the desserts because he was sure he’d remember the baking. He was really getting annoyed with himself that he couldn’t move on. He only hoped that Bulma was more rational than he was and could overcome her grief.

Bulma could see the glossy glaze over his eyes and grew worried. She knew they were supposed to be celebrating his birthday, but he seemed so unhappy. But that look…she knew that look. It was the look she saw when she looked into the mirror the last few days. Vegeta was hurting, and she had a feeling why. There was no other explanation to why a perfect stranger would welcome her into his home and attempt to comfort her. At some point in his life, Vegeta must have lost his parents and home just as she had lost hers. Maybe that was why he was a firefighter, to prevent loss like what happened to him.

 _“I want to go home,”_ she wrote. _“I’m so tired.”_

She shared it with everyone at the table and Vegeta nodded. “It’s been a long day for you,” he stated. “Let me just get a box for our food and we can go. That way you’ll have lunch tomorrow.”

_“Sounds good.”_

* * *

Yamcha was among the prong of people and kept a close eye on Vegeta’s table. He was surprised when he saw him looking at the drink menu, but instead of getting the alcoholic kind, he settled for a soda. Maybe he was trying to put up a front for all the people around him, but Yamcha knew better.

The soda obviously wasn’t enough for Vegeta and when he got back with his second plate, he just seemed to stare at its contents and pick at the food. He was miserable from what Yamcha could tell. The long-haired man rolled his eyes. It was just one night without alcohol. Surely Vegeta could survive that.

It was Bulma who ruined things by saying she wanted to go home. So, she saw the creep’s place as her home now, huh? Well, she really didn’t have anywhere else to go, but Yamcha assumed any place would be better than Vegeta’s place. Plus, the woman was rich. She could have gone to a fancy hotel and whatnot. She didn’t need to waste her time on the likes of Vegeta.

Unless anyone actually believed the story from the hospital where the doctor said her longtime friend brought her to his place to get her away from the paparazzi. Yamcha didn’t believe it. Vegeta barely interacted with the friends he had let alone having a longtime friend that no one knew about. Yeah, that made total sense.

The guys stood up to leave, and Vegeta held his hand out for Bulma. She smiled up at him and accepted his help. It nearly made Yamcha gag at how much of an act Vegeta put up, but that was okay. Eventually he’d get his. Yamcha would catch him in the act of doing something uncouth. Then he would hold it over his head until he finally stopped acting like he was better than him.

He couldn’t follow them without being seen so he just decided to watch them leave and then enjoy the rest of his night. There would be time to reveal Vegeta’s problems in the future.

* * *

Nappa dropped Bulma and Vegeta off at his apartment. He tried one more time to get Vegeta to talk to him, but he wouldn’t. Vegeta seemed very closed off for the night, especially when he walked ahead and left Bulma by the car. Nappa grabbed Bulma’s arm gently to get her attention. When she looked at him, he said, “Take care of him, okay? I’m worried about him.” And then he let her go and drove off.

Bulma stared at the car as it drove away. It spoke volumes to her if someone who had known Vegeta much longer than she had was telling her that he was worried. It said even more that he asked her to take care of him as if she had some sort of power over him. Maybe she did, but she didn’t know how much. Maybe when they were inside she’d test the waters.

“You coming?” Vegeta asked from the top step. Bulma looked up to see him standing there waiting for her. Yes, she did hold some power over him. Obviously his friends and guardian could see it, and that made her feel slightly confident about the conversation she would pose that night.

When they were inside, Vegeta set his keys on the table and began to head to his room to be alone. Bulma stopped him, placed her hand on his shoulder. “What?” he asked as calmly as he could. Bulma could still tell he was irritated, but she needed to voice what she thought.

_“I think I know why you’re helping me. Did you lose your parents in a fire too?”_

And that was all it took for Vegeta’s world to come crashing down. All he could think about was the phone call he answered telling him his parents weren’t going to make it home, the weeks he begged them not to go beforehand, the years growing up without them, and the rumors that spread because of it. He tried so hard to keep those memories buried down.

Vegeta glared at Bulma. He did not fully blame her for releasing them, but he wanted to get as far away from her as possible. He stormed off and ignored the look of hurt she sent his way. Once he slammed his door, he was down for the night. Bulma’s theory wasn’t accurate, but it was enough to make him think on it. There was no way he planned on talking to her about it when he barely talked to Nappa.

Bulma didn’t know what happened, but she felt bad for striking a nerve. Vegeta was definitely hurting, and now she seemed to open old wounds. Since he was in for the night, Bulma decided she would apologize to him the next morning before he went off to work. She would also thank him for making her feel welcome even though she crossed a line with him. She only hoped he would forgive her.

But Vegeta wasn’t going to be angry at her for long. Bulma didn’t know what she was asking or that it affected him. For all she knew, it could have happened years ago (which it did) and expected him to be over it. He should have been over it, but he wasn’t, and he couldn’t figure out why. Well, it wasn’t a night to figure out why. It was supposed to be the night he celebrated his birthday. What better way to do that than with his favorite beer to aid him in forgetting for the night? He left his room in the middle of the night after thinking on it for so long and grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator. He opened the first can and held it out in front of him.

“Cheers,” he said to himself as he downed the first can. He figured he earned this after the last few days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

The next day, Bulma found Vegeta asleep at his dining room table. He was using his arm as a pillow with a can in his outstretched hand. There were two other cans on their sides—it rolled slightly on the table—and one on the floor. _Four beers?_ she thought in shock. Surely he didn’t drunk all of that in one night. That was crazy especially when he had so much soda and salty foods the night before. His body was probably severely dehydrated. She decided to do the best thing. She got him a glass of water and some painkillers for the headache she was sure he’d have.

Vegeta was awake when he heard Bulma stirring. He woke up can in hand but didn’t want to be bothered by it. He was up so late the night before, and now he just wanted to sleep more. If he did, though, people at the firehouse would notice his absence much like they did a few days prior. He was going to have to suck it up for the day. He was the one who decided to trash himself the night before. At least the only thing ailing him was a headache.

He heard Bulma set a glass down and place something else on the table next to him. Then he felt the can slide from his hand and her reaching over him to pick up the other cans. Vegeta watched her walk back into the kitchen, he saw her go into the pantry and then heard the cans drop. Well, she had found his metal container of empty beer cans. It probably shocked her that there were so many there. Maybe he did have a problem, he mused, but if he could function in spite of it, everyone else should leave him alone about it. And this week no one was leaving him alone.

Bulma came back out of the pantry and saw Vegeta staring at her. His head still rested on his arm, but now instead of being against the table, he lied his head on its side. Bulma looked at him as if she had been caught doing something wrong but then regained her composure and grabbed her white board.

 _“I’m sorry if I upset you last night,”_ she apologized, blaming herself for his indulgence. _“You opened your home to me, and it was rude of me to ask. If something happened, I’m sorry. I just didn’t know.”_

Vegeta nodded his head against his arm. “It’s fine,” he said in acceptance of her apology. “I just don’t like to talk about it.”

Bulma quickly erased her board and wrote, _“I understand, but if you ever want to talk, I’ll listen.”_

“Hm,” Vegeta replied before he reluctantly forced his body from the table. His head was really killing him today. He groaned quietly but then noticed the glass of water and two painkillers and took them quickly. “Thanks,” he said to Bulma who just smiled at him in reply. “Now, I need to head to work.”

Bulma’s face fell when he said that. He should relax and not overdo it, but he didn’t seem to care. _“At least eat something first,”_ she ordered.

Vegeta scoffed at the board and said, “Not hungry,” before he went into his room to change his clothes. He just wanted to get through the day without anyone giving him grief. When he got a text message from Bulma’s friend, he realized that wouldn’t happen. He rolled his eyes when she yet again asked for his address. He still didn’t want to tell her that Bulma would be staying with him for the time being. He decided to put his phone on silent and ignore her for the day. He would deal with her the next day. Right now, he just needed to head to work. If he didn’t get there on time, he wouldn’t hear the end of it from any of the guys at the station. Then his day would be even more irritating.

* * *

Vegeta went directly to a weight room they had in the firehouse when he got there. He still felt incredibly tired and drained. Still, he wanted to avoid Raditz and Nappa when they came in because they would certainly jump on him. Now that they knew of his habit, any time he felt this way they would lecture him. He didn’t need it, he reasoned with himself, so he could wait them out as his body continued to wake up.

After an hour passed, he could already feel a little bit better and now he was actually hungry. It had been a bad idea to leave without bringing lunch or a snack along with him. Coffee and water would have to do until the lunch break, and then he could hit the deli across the street. With a towel, Vegeta wiped the sweat off his face, and then he left the weight room and went out into the common area.

Raditz was talking to the same intern he had the previous day over by the coffee. It was surprising that the self-proclaimed player finally found someone that interested him, a brunette by the name of Katie. Vegeta had never spoken to the woman, but from what he had sensed from her she was dedicated to their duty and never did anything that could cause harm to herself or others in the heart of danger.

“Oh, good morning, Vegeta,” Katie greeted kindly. “Raditz was just telling me about your houseguest.”

“Oh was he?” Vegeta muttered unamused as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Why would he tell you that?”

“I just asked him,” Katie admitted. “Rumors have been going around, but I didn’t think you were that kind of guy, so I asked Raditz for clarification. I think it’s really sweet what you’re doing.”

Vegeta didn’t respond as he sipped his hot drink. Raditz just chuckled at his reaction. “Don’t mind him,” Raditz told her. “He’s just a bit shy.”

“I am not shy,” Vegeta growled through gritted teeth and hid his sneer behind the mug.

Katie looked between the two and then giggled slightly. “The two of you act like brothers, huh?” she asked. “I wonder what it would be like to see you two and Goku together.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Raditz mused, “but where the heck did he get that nickname?”

Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. The other female volunteers call him that. I almost thought that was his name at first until you called him Kakarot when talking to me. I kind of picked up on it.”

“Good, you have a brain,” Vegeta joked dryly. “Now if you two will excuse me, I’m going to go take a nap.”

Raditz narrowed his eyes slightly, his brows furrowed together as he asked, “Why?”

“Didn’t sleep,” Vegeta replied with a half-truth. “Wake me up if we get a call.”

“Sure thing,” Raditz said monotonously as he watched Vegeta’s stride closely. The way Vegeta behaved had him nervous. He was acting more antisocial than usual and had an unusual misstep as he walked. Raditz couldn’t help but wonder if it was more than exhaustion on Vegeta’s part.

His thoughts were interrupted when Katie put her hand on his shoulder. “So how many times do we have to chat over here before you take the hint and give me your number?”

Raditz couldn’t help but smirk at her forwardness. “All you had to do was ask,” he said slyly before he handed her a slip of paper.

* * *

Vegeta was napping when Nappa came in and the older man decided to let him sleep. Instead, he went to find Kakarot and Raditz; they were playing cards at a table. “I take it no calls today,” Nappa stated.

“Thankfully, none,” Raditz told him. “It’s as quiet a day as it was on Vegeta’s birthday. I hope that doesn’t mean anything.”

“You and me both,” Nappa agreed. “So why is the kid out like a light?”

Kakarot shrugged but Raditz frowned causing Nappa to frown. “What?”

“Nothing,” Raditz ground out. “He said he just didn’t sleep last night.”

“Oh,” was all Nappa said in response.

Then they all heard a voice say, “I’m sorry ma’am, but you can’t go back there.”

“The hell I can’t!” a shrill, female voice shot back.

Nappa stood up ready to handle whoever was trying to cause a scene in the firehouse. He was surprised when a young woman came in searching the room for someone or something. “Is there anyone named Vegeta here?” she asked loudly with her hands on her hips. The woman clearly had a voice on her. Nappa was about to answer, but Vegeta woke up from the screaming.

“I take it you’re Bulma’s friend,” Vegeta stated with sleep still lacing his voice. He walked over to the woman while he ran his hand through his spiked hair. “Chi-Chi, right? Did you really have to yell?”

“Well, you haven’t been answering my texts,” she argued. “Why haven’t you answered?”

“I was sleeping,” he told her. “Besides, we need to talk.”

“Don’t you ‘we need to talk’ me!” Chi-Chi shrieked. “That usually means bad news. Now…when can I pick up Bulma?”

“She wants to stay with me,” Vegeta told her nonchalantly. “Just for now.”

“Excuse me?” Chi-Chi asked. She was irritated with his callousness. She barely knew this man other than from what he told her, and she didn’t have Bulma around to tell her if he was speaking the truth. She didn’t trust him, and yet her friend was in his care. “I still want to see her.”

“Of course,” Vegeta replied curtly. “And you will, but I am working right now. We can go later. For now you can either do whatever errands you have to or remain here in the lounge.”

“Are you really so arrogant to believe that I’m just going to listen to you?” Chi-Chi accused. “I want to see my friend. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, miss,” Kakarot said coming to diffuse any remaining tension. “I met your friend last night, and she’s doing well.”

“And who are you?” Chi-Chi asked irritably.

“Oh, sorry,” Kakarot said as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I’m Kakarot, Vegeta’s friend. Bulma seemed really good last night, so no need to worry.”

Chi-Chi considered what Kakarot said and, for some reason, she felt she could believe him. She looked back over to Vegeta who looked away from her with his arms crossed, as if he was brooding over something. “Is Bulma really okay?” she asked him softer this time.

“Yes,” Vegeta stated, this time with sincerity. “Misses her parents, though. I can’t blame her.”

“Yeah, Vegeta’s been where she has before,” Kakarot blurted out. He then received a sharp glare from his friend and held his hands up in silent surrender.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Chi-Chi said awkwardly.

“I don’t need pity,” Vegeta replied stoically. “Anyway, I’ll bring you home with me, and then you and Bulma can figure out what you’re going to do next.”

“Thank you,” Chi-Chi replied. Now that she was a little calmer, she felt a little bad thinking so poorly of the man that saved her friend’s life. She was just so concerned about Bulma. Thankfully, his friend decided to speak up and tell her how Bulma was doing. If this man was brought Bulma out with his friends and not holding her up in the apartment, he had to be at least somewhat decent. And Kakarot revealed the fact that Vegeta also lost a parent, and that made her realize why he acted a little cold. It made her understand why a perfect stranger chose to help her best friend, and Chi-Chi was grateful.

“It’s nothing,” Vegeta answered. Chi-Chi wanted to tell him it wasn’t ‘nothing’, but she didn’t get the chance before Vegeta nudged his head towards the lounge. “You can go sit in there. I’ll go get us lunch or something.” Chi-Chi understood now why Bulma accepted this man’s hospitality.

* * *

“So…” Raditz started. “You know Bulma.”

Chi-Chi looked up to see another stranger standing next to the couch. Vegeta just went across the street moments before to get them lunch. Now she was being interrogated by another stranger. “Yes, and?” she questioned snidely.

Raditz chuckled at the way she talked to him. “Was just asking,” he stated. “I’m Kakarot’s brother, Raditz. He said you were here. I wanted to see if you needed anything like water or coffee.”

Chi-Chi’s hardened wall dropped again when she heard the sincerity in his voice. She didn’t know why she was so jumpy around all these people but, even when she acted ill towards them, they treated her kindly. “No thank you,” she answered. “Vegeta just went to a deli to get us some lunch. He said he’d be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay, good,” Raditz said before he took a seat next to her. “I’m sure he will be. The deli is right across the street.”

“Convenient,” was all Chi-Chi said before she looked to the long-haired man. “So…why do you all keep going out of your way to talk to me?”

“Heh,” Raditz laughed. “It’s called manners, lady. Unless you want to be left alone bored out of your mind. I could leave if you want.”

“It’s fine,” Chi-Chi replied. “I was just wondering. So, you and your brother are Vegeta’s friends, huh? What can you tell me about the stranger who’s been helping my friend?”

“Well, for one, he doesn’t like us talking about him behind his back,” Raditz pointed out making Chi-Chi scoff and look away, “but he’s a good guy. Risks his life all the time to save people other firefighters would say they couldn’t save. Bulma was one of those people. Even our chief, Nappa, who is also Vegeta’s guardian, was concerned about him going in there. There was barely an access point. But he got Bulma out of there and then went to check on her at the hospital because he felt guilty.”

“Guilty for what?” Chi-Chi questioned. “And did he tell you that?”

“No,” Raditz told her.

“Then how do you know?”

“Because I know him,” Raditz explained. “I know the type of guy he is. He does what he can to rescue everyone and, when he fails, he feels guilty. When he got her out of the house, she was fighting him. He probably feels like he could have done more even if it was impossible.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Chi-Chi stated. “Not at all. There’s no reason for him to feel guilty.”

“And yet he will,” Raditz countered. “He wants to do whatever he can to help your friend so that he can make up for not saving her family.”

“That’s a lot for him to put on himself. Why does he do that to himself?”

Raditz shrugged. “I don’t know the full story. I don’t even think Kakarot does. The only one who knows about his past is Nappa, and even now I’m not sure if he understands why anymore.”

“Well, I’m still happy that someone was able to help Bulma while I wasn’t here for her,” Chi-Chi said. “In all honesty, I feel a little guilty too. I should have put my business trip on hold. I had been planning to do that, but then the other company was being difficult.”

Raditz shrugged. “Can’t be helped,” he told her. “And as you said, not your fault. No reason to feel guilty. A fire like that is not something you could foresee.”

Chi-Chi sighed and nodded. “You’re right,” she admitted reluctantly. “Now we just have to deal with the fallout.”

Raditz scoffed. “Yeah, those workers I’m sure.”

“Don’t even mention them,” Chi-Chi snapped. “I can’t wait for Bulma to fire them. I mean, I have to fire them, but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do,” Raditz replied. “I hope it all works out.”

“Me too.”

Vegeta returned and found Raditz talking with Chi-Chi. The woman seemed to be a little more laidback so Vegeta hoped she would give him a break. Of course, he didn’t know what Raditz talked to her about, so he didn’t realize that Chi-Chi would be doing just that. “Here,” he said as he handed her a paper bag. “Enjoy.”

“Charming as always,” Raditz teased. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Thank God,” Vegeta replied. He sat down on the other side of Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi bit back a chuckle. “Thank you, Vegeta,” she said to him. “I’m sure this deli is amazing.” Vegeta nodded his agreement but didn’t respond. That’s how they spent the rest of his shift there. Afterwards, Vegeta went with her in her car and directed her to his home. When they got there, Chi-Chi watched Vegeta walk up the stairs to reach his door. She couldn’t help the smile that graced her features. He was the silent type, but she knew once her friend could talk again, she might be able to change that. _He has no idea what he’s getting into,_ she thought as she followed him inside.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

Bulma experienced another peaceful day, other than being bored out of her mind. She hoped that Vegeta would be home sometime soon. The silence in the apartment was a little overbearing. He may not have been very talkative, but he somehow made the silence seem more peaceful than boring. Besides, she still felt like she owed him after upsetting him the previous night.

She heard noise and chattering outside the door. A woman was with him, Bulma could tell, but she couldn’t tell who. She was prepared to think the worse, that maybe a reporter followed Vegeta home and accosted him. The woman went by the door and saw Vegeta and her best friend after it opened; she felt greatly relieved. That last thing she wanted was to cause Vegeta anymore disruptions.

Chi-Chi pushed past Vegeta, which he allowed, to get to her friend. “It’s okay, Bulma,” Chi-Chi cooed softly. “It’s okay.” When Vegeta saw Bulma shaking, he realized Chi-Chi was saying this to stop her friend from crying. If it worked, Vegeta would have to keep the tactic in mind. It was surprising to him that Chi-Chi’s soft words calmed Bulma down. He realized the woman may need that again in the near future.

So the three sat down at the table and started to discuss what needed to be done. Chi-Chi wanted to go with Bulma to her doctor’s appointments, so she declared she’d pick them up beforehand so they could all go together. Vegeta agreed, but only because Bulma seemed happy to have her friend around. The next thing that needed to be discussed was dealing with the will and finances. Everything belonged to Bulma; there wasn’t a question about it. That’s probably the one reason the company was still completely shut down and why the money had been left untouched. Chi-Chi suggested they go talk to a lawyer the next day while Vegeta was at work. Bulma was thankful for this because she needed to get out of the house more. She loved living there, but she needed to be more active than she had been. She was mute, but she wasn’t crippled after all.

Then came the topic Bulma was sensitive about. A press conference would need to be held to explain that she couldn’t speak and that Chi-Chi would act as her voice for the time being. The people needed to know that her father was not the reason the tests were run. They needed to know they were unwarranted, but that the workers did not want to listen, and now she had to deal with the fallout after losing both her parents. The people needed to be assured that Capsule Corp. would no longer create weapons, and if the employees had problems with it they would be encouraged to quit or fired if they were involved in the accident. There would be no fires that the company would be responsible for again. Bulma didn’t know how well that would go over with the workers or the press, but that was what she wanted. She was sure that her father and mother would support her decisions.

“Okay,” Chi-Chi said, “I’ll get everything together. Tomorrow we’ll go deal with the will. We should be able to hold a press conference this weekend.”

Bulma nodded in agreement. She picked up her board and wrote, _“Will you come too?”_ and showed it to Vegeta.

“If you want me to,” he started, “I will request off this weekend.”

_“Thank you.”_

Chi-Chi smiled at the fact that her friend seemed to get along with her host well. He also seemed to understand that Bulma needed support right now, and he gave it to her at his own expense. She knew she had terribly misjudged him when he was denied her texts. He truly had her friend’s best interests at heart. “I’ll make sure you get the proper clearance,” she told him. “That way you can just bring Bulma and stay with us, no questions asked.”

“Sounds good,” Vegeta replied. “I’m going to start dinner now.”

“You cook?” Chi-Chi asked.

“I would starve if I didn’t,” Vegeta joked dryly. “I hope you like chicken.”

* * *

“So, what did you think about that girl?” Kakarot asked his brother while they were chilling at home. “Chi-Chi.”

Raditz shrugged. “She seems nice,” he stated. “Why are you asking?”

Kakarot blushed slightly and looked back at the television. “No reason,” he said unconvincingly.

This made Raditz take a step back from the newspaper article he was reading to observe his younger brother. Kakarot was forcibly watching the TV; he avoided eye contact and blushed, and it all started with him asking about a girl. That alone gave Raditz a clue. “You like her, don’t you?” he asked causing Kakarot to blush more as his eyes widened. “Oh my God, you like her!”

“Don’t be so loud about it!” Kakarot shot back.

Raditz simply smirked in response. “It’s not like she can hear me,” he countered. “Vegeta lives miles away.”

“Yeah so?” Kakarot muttered before he pouted.

Raditz’s jocular nature calmed and he had a more serious smile. “Hey, buddy,” he tried, though Kakarot refused to make eye contact. “I was only teasing. Sorry I gave you crap, but you’ve never been interested in a girl before. I never got the chance to tease you. If you like her, you have my blessing.”

Kakarot smiled before he frowned again. “It would be nice to get dad’s blessing too.”

That struck a nerve with Raditz. It had been years since either boy spoke to their father. After their mother passed away, he was never the same. Anyone Raditz brought home, his father would trash and belittle them. It made it hard for Raditz to date. Even bringing friends home was a problem. Eventually, Raditz became a loner at school despite having an outgoing and generally friendly disposition. Kakarot saw how his big brother was treated and would try to defend him, but their father would say hurtful things and call both boys disappointments. When Raditz was able to move out, Kakarot decided to follow. His father didn’t seem to care at all that either of them left. The two brothers supported each other as Kakarot finished off school and Raditz worked to support them.

“I know, bro,” he admitted. “But we don’t have to worry about him. If you like the girl, go for it.”

Kakarot smiled and nodded, his innocence returning. Then his smile became a sly grin. “So, you and Katie, huh?”

A small blush formed on Raditz’s cheeks, but he laughed it off and smiled. “Yeah, me and Katie.”

“Good,” his brother said with a nod. “You two are good together. You deserve to be happy for once.”

“I am happy, Kakarot,” he said sincerely. Even though they had a lot of drama in their life, and loss, Raditz was happy to have Kakarot around. It was tough, but he supported his brother. He just wished that others who were suffering could be just as happy. It reminded him that he had a candle to light in the church before work the next day, for Vegeta to find happiness in something other than the bottle.

* * *

Later, Chi-Chi suggested they rent a movie in hopes to lighten Bulma’s spirits. Vegeta was wrangled into watching it with them and stayed quiet the entire time. Chi-Chi ended up falling asleep, still unused to the jet lag; however, it was a war movie which Vegeta enjoyed and a romance which Bulma enjoyed all in one, so they continued to watch it. When things got sad in the movie, though, Bulma decided that Vegeta would be her support as she leaned her head on his shoulder and slumped her body against his.

Vegeta wasn’t one for physical contact save for when he was a child, so this made him feel a little awkward. Still, he took his right arm and wrapped it around Bulma’s form. She latched onto him even tighter. His hand traced the rim of the short-sleeved shirt she wore. He looked down to see her eyes closed and an expression of peace on her features.

He continued to hold and comfort her until the end of the movie. Both Bulma and Chi-Chi were asleep by that point. The youth sighed and moved to pick Bulma up. He carried her to her room, mesmerized by how light she felt and how easy it was to carry her when she wasn’t kicking and smacking him.

When he got her to the room, he gently placed her on the bed and covered her with blankets. She seemed to cringe slightly in her sleep and woke up instantly from what Vegeta assumed was a nightmare.

“You’re okay,” he told her as he placed his hands on her shoulders. It didn’t manage to help her calm her breathing. “It’s okay, Bulma. You’re safe.”

Bulma was shaking. Whatever her nightmare had been was a bad one. It caused Vegeta to be concerned and he was almost afraid to let go of her. Eventually she started to relax and Vegeta removed his hands. He was about to leave the room when Bulma grabbed his hand. Her eyes begged him to stay. Vegeta sighed and mentally cursed himself for falling prey to those eyes.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as calmly as possible to hide his reluctance. “Just let me go take care of your friend.”

Bulma nodded, her eyes still teary. She really didn’t want him to leave her. He wondered what her dream was about and why it caused such a horrible reaction with her. On his way out of the room, he grabbed a blanket and then left the room while avoiding Bulma’s pleading gaze. Vegeta realized that she gained control over him somehow in the few days they had known each other. He didn’t understand it; he couldn’t understand why he reacted the way he did.

He placed the blanket over Chi-Chi and then returned to Bulma’s room. The woman was sitting up in bed and staring at the wall. She waited for him. He crawled into bed on the opposite side of where she was. It was a tight squeeze on the twin sized bed, but Vegeta rearranged their positions. He held her close to him, cradled her, and felt her let out a breath she had been holding before she began to shake again.

It pained him, when she cried. She couldn’t let herself make any noise, so she shook instead. All he could do was rub her back as she continued to silently sob. His grip on her tightened, and she buried herself further into him. They stayed like that the entire night after Bulma cried herself to sleep. Vegeta drifted off once she was down for the night. He considered returning to his room, but he didn’t want to move. He felt comfortable there with Bulma even though it was a tight fit for both of them. Finally, he decided not to stir her by getting out of bed and instead shifted her so that she could rest comfortably against him.

* * *

“You did what with her?” Raditz asked with wide eyes the next morning.

Vegeta grumbled something at him before he growled, “I didn’t mean _that_ kind of ‘spending the night’. I just stayed with her until she fell asleep, and then I didn’t want to wake her, so I stayed. I’m not that kind of guy, Raditz.”

“I know that,” Raditz replied, seriousness returning, “but it was still a shock. Vegeta, you’ve never done that for anyone. You’ve never even acted this caring towards a woman. What’s going on?”

Vegeta leaned against the wall next to the lockers and bunked his head against it. “I don’t know,” he admitted. Truth was he felt a little lost. He woke up that morning feeling better than he ever had. Bulma seemed happier when she joined him in the kitchen. She even hugged him before she and Chi-Chi left for the lawyer’s office, and he actually hugged her back. She didn’t feel like a stranger that he met a few days ago because of such terrible circumstances. Bulma truly did feel like a friend, and part of him did want to get to know her more. There was one thing Vegeta was certain of; he was confused and that’s why he went to Raditz. “I don’t know.”

“Well, my two cents is that I think you really like this girl, Vegeta,” Raditz told him. “And the other part of you feels guilty. What exactly happened in that house?”

Vegeta scowled and shook his head. He didn’t want to discuss what he saw in that building. “I could only save her,” he settled for. “Her parents were already gone.”

Raditz frowned and nodded solemnly. “Yeah, you definitely feel guilty. You might want to sort through that first before you try to figure out whatever you felt last night.” He paused and watched Vegeta silently agree with him with a curt head nod. “But to help you sort through what happened, she obviously doesn’t blame you if you’re the only one she lets comfort her. I mean, she wants to stay with you, not her friend who has known her longer. That alone speaks volumes. Besides, there was nothing you could have done. If it wasn’t for the workers disobeying their protocol, it wouldn’t have happened. She knows that.”

“I know she does,” Vegeta stated. He crossed his arms. “She…wants me at the press conference.”

Raditz perked up when he heard that. “Vegeta, that’s a huge deal!” he exclaimed. “She wants you there. You can’t still possibly feel guilty about this.”

Vegeta sighed and knew he would regret saying this to his excitable friend. He would blow the whole thing way out of proportion, especially since he wanted him to get a girlfriend. “I don’t feel guilty,” he admitted reluctantly. “Only the first day did I feel guilt. I know there was nothing I could have done. Now, I just feel for her. I know what she’s going through, and I can feel the pain she’s in every time she breaks down.”

Raditz smiled slightly. He couldn’t believe it happened, but it had. Vegeta felt connected to that girl and clearly wanted to console her when she was hurt. He pretty much admitted that he’d rather see her happy. He had feelings for this girl in just a few short days. The older man couldn’t be happier that his friend might actually have the prospect of love in the future.

“Don’t worry about it right now,” he instructed. “Just be there for her. Go to that press conference and make sure she gets through it. Take it a day at a time and that will help you sort through your feelings.”

Vegeta growled softly. That was the worst advice ever. He didn’t understand why he bothered coming to Raditz. He wanted answers, not just to be told things would work themselves out. He heard that enough through his childhood and teen years from school counselors and even Nappa. So far, things hadn’t ‘worked themselves out’. He still felt like the same lost soul he was back then. The only difference is he had the legal ability to numb that feeling. He didn’t even touch alcohol back then.

“Whatever,” came his noncommittal response.

Raditz watched Vegeta walk away, but he still had a very optimistic feeling about this whatever it was with Bulma. He knew that there was something about her when he met her, something more than just an obligation. He could only hope that something positive would come out of all of this. Both Vegeta _and_ Bulma deserved and needed each other. They just couldn’t see it yet.

* * *

Chi-Chi was amazing. She knew just who they needed to talk with to help them get the will in order. Bulma inherited everything from her parents including the house and the insurance that went along with the house, the business, their money and assets, everything. She was even allowed to appoint a vice-president who could act in her place while she was unable. Of course she chose Chi-Chi and Chi-Chi was thrilled because that meant she could quit her current job, work closely with and for her friend, and the pay and benefits would be a lot better. Bulma knew that Chi-Chi would help her unlike some other workers who would try to shut her out. That was not going to happen.

The press conference was scheduled for the weekend, which gave Chi-Chi two days to prepare and Bulma some time to get new business clothes. Unfortunately, Chi-Chi had a lot to do to prepare, so Bulma was on her own for shopping, but she couldn’t talk to the store clerks. Even though she was able to live normally, she still felt like she was hindered. She didn’t want to go alone which meant she’d somehow have to convince Vegeta to go with her.

When Vegeta got home, he looked like he had a long day. Bulma looked to him fearfully thinking something terrible had happened, but he did his best to reassure her. “Just a grease fire and college students burning stuff in their apartments setting off smoke alarms.”

Bulma nodded in response. Obviously he didn’t seem too worried, so everything must have worked out. _“Can I ask a favor?”_ she wrote.

“Shoot,” Vegeta stated as he went to grab some water from the fridge.

_“Will you take me shopping?”_

The question was out there, and it took Vegeta by surprise. He figured she’d want to do that type of activity with her best friend. “If you would like me to, I will. We’ll go tomorrow. It’s my day off.”

Bulma smiled, nodded, and looked at him with silent thanks. Then she remembered she needed to inform him about the press conference date. _“Chi-Chi got the press conference scheduled for the weekend.”_

Vegeta took a long sip of his water before he set the cup down on the counter. “Then, like I said, I will request off then as well. I will be there.”

Bulma felt a fluttering sensation in her chest when he said that. No matter how much she asked from Vegeta, he gave it to her. After observing him the entire week, she realized that she got treatment that no one else ever received from him. He was doing so much for her, and she wanted to do for him in return. When things got less hectic, she would make sure to thank him properly for turning his life upside-down for her. She would make sure he knew just how much she appreciated him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta was not one to go out, nor was he one that enjoyed shopping. Still, he agreed to go with Bulma since she asked him. At first, he thought it was a mistake, but here he was watching her model clothes for him, clothes that were her own style.

They suited her, and he smiled each time she looked to him for approval. He would nod or grimace depending on how the clothes looked on her, but by the end of her modeling Bulma had enough clothes for staying at home, going out, and business clothes to last a couple of weeks. She had looked beautiful in his mother’s clothes, but it was nice to see her being herself, dressing with her own stylish flair. It made her seem more youthful and lively.

Accessory shopping didn’t take that much of Vegeta’s attention. Bulma wouldn’t have taken him there either, but the insurance gave her money to replace a lot of the lost objects she had. She was only using a little bit of the money for clothes shopping. Nothing else in the house really could be replaced by money. No, she was planning to do something else with the money at a later date, something that would be a surprise for Vegeta in the distant future.

She got a small handbag, a new wallet, and large bag to act as a briefcase. Then she dragged her poor host to look at makeup. She saw his distaste as she shopped for a few items and wondered why he looked at her like that. Before they left, she paid for all her items, and the two of them wandered around the shopping center together. While walking, Vegeta shook his head and voiced his distaste.

“I don’t understand why you bought that garbage,” he said referring to the makeup. “You don’t need it. I think your natural look could trump anything those paints could do.”

Bulma blushed at the compliment, but Vegeta didn’t seem to notice. She couldn’t believe he just told her that she looked better without makeup. It was rare for her to hear something like that. The only man to ever say something similar was her father. That was when she stopped wearing makeup day-to-day. She only wore it when she went to work. Seeing as the press conference was this weekend, she felt she needed to get a few things.

She stopped walking and wrote, _“It’s just for the press conference,”_ to reassure him that she was not one of those women who believed she needed it. _“It’s strictly professional.”_

“Hmph,” Vegeta replied. “Keep it that way. You don’t need it. You’re beautiful without it.”

Vegeta didn’t realize what he said until it came out of his mouth. He immediately clammed up after he said it and left a red-faced Bulma to just stare at him. Their footsteps and other people talking on the city streets were all they heard on the walk home.

The first thing Vegeta did was set her bags down in her room before he planned to escape to his. Bulma stopped him and he turned to see the board in his face. _“Want to go somewhere for dinner? I’ll pay.”_

Vegeta chuckled at her but shook his head. “I can pay for myself, Bulma. It’s no big deal.”

 _“It’s a ‘thank you’,”_ she explained.

Vegeta sighed but nodded. “Fine,” he said. “There’s a sports bar down the street I haven’t been to in a while. Would you like to go?”

Bulma nodded excitedly and held out her finger to signal a minute that she needed to get changed. Vegeta waited in the living room for her. When she was finished, Vegeta was shocked at how different she looked in pastel colors. She looked younger, more vibrant, and like an innocent, young woman. He refrained from saying something like he had in the mall, lest he confuse himself and Bulma more. “Let’s go,” he said instead as the two of them left his apartment.

* * *

Yamcha was irritated. It had been a few days and Vegeta had not been at the bar. He planned to get evidence of his drinking through video to hold over the other firefighter’s head seeing as just telling Rodney didn’t seem to have any merit. He knew that Vegeta would go to Rodney with his own theories on Yamcha’s actions, but he still didn’t have any proof. Besides, with this video, Yamcha could argue that Vegeta was too drunk to even see straight and that he was just on simple dates.

Finally, Yamcha saw Vegeta walk through the door, and he grinned in anticipation. The flame-haired boy just needed to head to his usual spot at the bar and all would go right for his plan. What surprised Yamcha was that Vegeta wasn’t alone. He had the Briefs girl with him. That couldn’t be right. _Why would he be here with her?_ Yamcha wondered when he was all but convinced that Vegeta was using her for something.

He could see Vegeta saying something to her and Bulma writing stuff down on a board, then both of them smiled. Instead of going to the bar, as Yamcha had hoped, Vegeta led the heiress to a table for two and held a seat out for her to sit. He acted like a complete gentleman with this girl, and Yamcha didn’t understand why Vegeta acted so differently from what he had seen already.

A waitress came and took their order, and Vegeta seemed to stay away from the alcohol. This alone was unusual. He seemed to just be there for the food. All that was going on with the two was some light ‘conversation’ that consisted of Bulma writing on her board and Vegeta reacting to whatever she wrote. He was shocked to see a smile on Vegeta’s face instead of his normal scowl. The man seemed to be in his own world with the blue-haired heiress. For the moment, Yamcha felt he was actually looking at someone with a soul.

He looked down at his own meal and felt slightly guilty for what he was there to do. Maybe Vegeta was right and Yamcha didn’t know what was going on. But if Vegeta wasn’t going to the bar for the sake of getting drunk, why did he always go there? Was there something more going on that Yamcha wouldn’t be able to understand? Maybe it was time to stop focusing on Vegeta as a troublemaker and start getting to know more about him. At least this way he’d know for sure what Vegeta’s motives were.

* * *

 _“So then, my dad decided to build an indoor garden because my mother complained about the city,”_ Bulma wrote. _“She always lived in the country, so to make her happy, he did that for her.”_

Vegeta smiled as he read one of Bulma’s stories. He knew it must be difficult for someone to not be able to talk, so he patiently waited as she wrote out what she wanted to say. It wasn’t hard to figure that Bulma was a talkative woman, and part of him wished he could hear her voice. He pictured it being light and airy, but who knew. For now, their ways of communication would be like this.

Then out of nowhere, Bulma frowned and erased her board. _“He really loved her,”_ she added.

Things felt heavy as the written conversation ended. Bulma stared at a spot at the table and tried not to cry. Vegeta placed a hand on hers, grasped it tightly in comfort. She looked up to his intense stare. “No matter what, they always loved you, and they always will.”

Bulma smiled and silently chuckled, but tears started to flow freely. Her reaction was to get out of her seat and go to Vegeta. He stood up and embraced her in a hug as she sobbed on his shirt. The waiter showed up with their food, so Vegeta signaled to him a signal for ‘to go’ where he held out two fingers and then pointed to the door like a hitchhiker. The waiter understood and went to package their food.

He didn’t care if this was Bulma’s way to thank him. He just put money on the table. If anything, he was doing this to comfort her. Besides, he didn’t think she could even remember why they were there.

The waiter came back and handed Vegeta the food and Bulma’s white board. Vegeta nodded his thanks and motioned to the table to let him know of the money and the waiter’s tip. Then he guided Bulma out of the bar. There would always be another time to go out. Besides, he didn’t need her thanks. He just wanted her to feel better. For some reason unknown to him, it hurt him to see her this distraught.

Yamcha watched the whole scene from his table. He couldn’t believe that the girl had broken down in the middle of the crowded bar. It stunned him even more that Vegeta seemed to only be focused on her and not the looks and comments he was getting from other people.

The long-haired man overheard the guys at the table next to where Bulma and Vegeta had been insulting them and trying to put their own cruel spin like Yamcha had. Now that he understood a little more what was going on, piecing together the things Vegeta and Raditz said and then watching this scene, he was angered by their loud, obnoxious statements. He got up from his own table and marched over to them. He slammed his hand down to get their attention.

“It’s unbecoming to talk about people like that,” he stated, internally amused at the irony of what he was saying. “If you don’t know what’s going on, then don’t make remarks. You don’t know what those two have been through.”

He walked away, ignoring the deer-in-headlight looks of the bar-goers, and went to pay for his own meal. For the first time since he ever came to this bar, he was going home alone, and he was strangely thankful for that.

* * *

Vegeta got himself and Bulma back to his apartment. He put the food on his coffee table and then sat her down on his couch and continued to act as her consoling pillar. She clutched onto him like a safety blanket, continued to cry, and he let her. He didn’t know what to do or say. He couldn’t, in good conscience, say that everything would be okay when he himself had not yet learned to cope with his parents’ death years later. Everyone always told him everything would be okay and things would work out, but the loss still weighed heavily on him. He couldn’t tell her that in a few years the pain would go away because it hadn’t for him.

He felt Bulma’s shaking sobs stop, though she still sniffled a bit. Gently, Vegeta held her up to look at him, and he wiped the remaining tears away. Bulma’s gaze held an unspoken apology, though Vegeta felt she needn’t feel sorry.

“I’m going to go put our food on some plates,” he told her. “And then we’re going to find a movie you want to watch, either one I have or we find on TV, but right now you need to distract yourself, okay?”

Bulma nodded and then started to look for her writing board. Vegeta handed it to her from the table with the bags. _“I didn’t mean to ruin our night.”_

Vegeta flashed her a saddened smile. “You ruined nothing,” he assured her. “And there will be other nights.”

He got up to bring the food to the kitchen all the while Bulma watched him. The fact that she was watching him did not escape his notice, and it made him feel self-conscious. His feelings were still confusing him, and he was beginning to feel even more and more confused. He felt an ache in his chest that he knew would only go away once she was smiling again, and all he wanted to do was hold her close to him regardless. He couldn’t be falling for a girl he just met, could he?

He wanted to scoff at the idea, but there wasn’t really any other explanation. Still, there was no way he’d act on whatever this was any time soon. He was still confused and sorting through his own mess and he didn’t even want to think of how Bulma would react if he said anything now. No, he would try to figure out what he was feeling. Right now, it couldn’t become anything. All he could be was the supportive friend. After returning to Bulma with the food, he turned on the television and they started to search for a good movie to watch. Bulma rested her body against Vegeta and the two ate in silence.

* * *

The next day at work, Vegeta was far from focused. It was good that any fires that needed to be put out were simple enough. He hated the fact that families lost homes, but thankfully everyone got out okay. Despite the loss of their homes and possessions, they at least had family to go to and could rebuild anew someday. Compared to Bulma, they had it easy, but he still remained sympathetic. Their fear and sense of loss were very real, even if everything could be replaced.

Now he was back at the firehouse. He sat alone as Nappa discussed things with Rodney, and Raditz and Kakarot were off putting out some other reported fire. Vegeta used the time to think to himself, but his thinking was interrupted when Yamcha sat down across from him. Vegeta sneered at him, looking at the man with disgust. He crossed his arms defiantly.

“What do you want?” Vegeta growled. “Did I not make myself clear last time we talked?”

Yamcha chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I figured,” he replied softly. “I’m not here to piss you off, Vegeta. Actually, I’m here to make amends. I saw what happened last night, before you and the girl left the bar.”

“Her name is Bulma,” Vegeta said harshly, not understanding why he was getting defensive over her with Yamcha of all people. He didn’t need to let on that he cared. “What’s it to you, anyway?”

“Well,” Yamcha started, “I know for sure you aren’t using the girl.” Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the guy. “Easy, Vegeta. You were right, I didn’t know anything. Sorry for making things harder on you.”

“I don’t need your apologies,” Vegeta scoffed. He then turned away from him. “It makes no difference to me what you say or do. I told you, I have nothing to lose.”

“Yes, you really do, Vegeta,” Yamcha told him. Vegeta glanced at him questioning his words. “You have good friends, a guardian who cares about you, all of whom are willing to defend you from Rodney and from me. Now you have that girl to look after. She must be important to you for you to comfort her the way you did. Didn’t you notice that the people around you were irritated?”

“Why should I care?” Vegeta snapped. “They should mind their own damn business.”

Yamcha smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I told them off.”

“You?” Vegeta asked in disbelief. “You of all people actually did something noble? I don’t need your pity. Leave me alone. Just, you mind your own business too.”

Before Yamcha could react, Vegeta quickly left the table. Where he planned on going, Yamcha did not know. He could hear the strain in Vegeta’s voice in his last request. It shocked him to hear Vegeta’s voice break like that of a child. He was so used to Vegeta acting like a jerk most of the time holding derision in his tone.

Nappa watched the scene unfold. He just exited Rodney’s office it time to hear Yamcha’s apology and to watch Vegeta flee from him. It was then Nappa knew for sure what was going on. He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before. Out of everyone that knew Vegeta, Nappa had been the one to know all of his behaviors. With the things Vegeta said, his guardian knew he missed his parents, but he didn’t know that that was causing him to push people away.

He should have picked up on it the first time Vegeta said he wanted to be alone for a holiday to work on something at home. It should have really hit him when Vegeta stopped going out with Raditz and Kakarot period. When he denied his dinner invitations, Nappa should have known. When Vegeta said he just wanted to forget and that was why he had been drinking…what kind of guardian was he to not notice? Vegeta didn’t just miss his parents; he was still grieving for them.

It was a good thing that Vegeta wasn’t alone right now. Letting him go live on his own had been a mistake. Nappa originally thought it would be good for Vegeta at the time, but now he wasn’t so sure. He needed to make sure that Vegeta knew he still saw him as his own. No, he would never replace his friend and his wife as the boy’s parents, but Nappa still loved Vegeta like his own son. Maybe it was time to remind him of that.

For now, though, Vegeta had his hands full. He had been there when the kid requested off for the weekend to accompany Bulma to the press conference. Once the weekend was over, though, Nappa wanted to spend time with him. Maybe getting him out of the apartment more was the first key in showing him he needed to live his life. That would be his mission, to remind Vegeta that he was very important, to him and to others.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

The weekend came quickly, though the day of the press conference seemed to move at a snail’s pace. Bulma seemed slightly distant that morning. Vegeta just let her be knowing this day was taking its toll on her. Chi-Chi would act as her spokeswoman. The day would be difficult already as Bulma would hear a recount of her loss, but to make it worse it had to come from her friend and not her. This wouldn’t give her closure like the news broadcasters kept announcing and speculating. It would just serve as another reminder of what she lost.

The one good thing about this was that she would be able to move on afterwards, however tough it would be. In a way, Bulma would have some closure since the world would understand that her father’s actions did not cause the tragic fire. Chi-Chi also suggested a memorial service for them that she would announce at the end of the conference. Bulma agreed to it only because it was the only way for her to say goodbye. Vegeta did not really wish to go to the service, but he knew he would go to be there for Bulma. He didn’t even go to his own parents’ memorial service; he was far too young and naïve with the thought that if he avoided it his parents could come back. It was another reminder to him that he continued to avoid his own issues.

That, and the fact that Nappa asked him to meet up for dinner the following Monday, to which Vegeta declined. Unfortunately, his guardian was not deterred and said that his next day off, the following Thursday, the two of them would be going somewhere. Nappa refused to tell him where they’d go, and Vegeta was hesitant. His guardian rarely ever forced an issue with him when he was younger, so Vegeta had no idea why he acted so forceful now. Still, to end the discussion, Vegeta reluctantly agreed to leave his fate up to Nappa.

For today, he was just going to focus on Bulma. When she needed him she would go to him. That is why he was content to rest in his room as she readied herself for the conference. Vegeta had never been to such a formal event before in his life. He had no formal wear save for his father’s clothes, but they were not his to wear, nor would he be able to get through the conference emotionally to help Bulma if he did. Chi-Chi already lectured him on formal attire, but Vegeta ignored her and said he planned to wear black jeans and a t-shirt. Bulma didn’t mind, but Chi-Chi berated him. It didn’t matter what he wore, though. He would only stand in the background with Bulma while Chi-Chi spoke.

Eventually he got tired of waiting for Bulma to come to him and found her in the kitchen. She sat at the table and stared into space, an invisible spot on the table. She seemed to be lost in thought, but it was getting late, and they both needed to eat. The conference would keep them busy all day. Bulma needed to focus on her health.

Vegeta slid a plate of leftover food in front of her. She looked from the food to him in question. “Eat,” he commanded. “You’re going to need your strength for today.”

Bulma shook her head and pushed the plate away, then placed a hand over her stomach to convey to him she wasn’t feeling well. He put the plate in front of her again and stood across from her with his arms crossed. He wasn’t going to let her go the day without eating.

Knowing she wouldn’t win, she started to nibble on the food. Vegeta then went to prepare a plate for himself. He joined her in eating in silence. Bulma was still staring into space while she ate. She seemed to be incredibly nervous about the press conference, and Vegeta didn’t understand why. He understood that she would be upset emotionally, but there was nothing to be nervous about. It was a good thing he didn’t plan on leaving her side. She needed the support.

* * *

Kakarot was concerned about the press conference. He didn’t know why, especially since he was usually carefree, but he knew he needed to know what was happening. At the precinct, he, his brother, and Nappa had the news on. They were surprised when Yamcha joined them, but Nappa knew having overheard his conversation with Vegeta. Yamcha was as concerned as they were about the girl. Since they couldn’t be there, she’d have their silent support.

Nappa surprised Raditz when he patted the seat next to him which Yamcha awkwardly took. Raditz shot the older man a questioning glance. Nappa just shrugged it off. He figured that Raditz would find out about Yamcha’s change sooner or later.

Rodney came out of his office and saw most of his workers over by the television set. He mentally cursed himself for installing the entertainment unit. All it served to do was lead his workers to be lazy. He was about ready to give them a long lecture about work ethic when something on the screen caught his eye.

The headline read _‘Capsule Corp. Press Conference: The Truth About the Fire’._ Being the head of the department, he felt he needed to know this. “Anderson,” he called to one of the interns. When said man looked at him, he said, “Man the phones while I get information on the cause of the Capsule Corp. fire.”

“Yes, sir,” the intern replied before he ran off.

Nappa eyed Rodney; he narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t know why he felt irritated with the man, but he assumed it was still some leftover bitterness from when he attacked him on his guardianship. He didn’t think things would ever be right between him and his boss again. At least he could live with it, especially when he fought not to escalate it. Nappa chose to remove himself from the conversation; however, he still felt like there was some lasting tension between them that they would need to hash out later.

Nappa’s attention was directed to the TV when Kakarot pointed out Bulma’s friend. The girl, Chi-Chi Ox, explained that she would act as Bulma’s voice since the smoke inhalation had temporarily damaged her vocal cords.

 _“Most of you know Capsule Corporation for their storage inventions and other tools to aid daily housework,”_ she started. _“That was all Dr. Trunks Briefs had planned for his company to be. However, due to the increased pressure from some of his workers, CC started a weapons division. The protocol instilled was for the workers to aid in the construction of a weapon and it could only be tested in the presence of Dr. Trunks Briefs, or his daughter, Dr. Bulma Briefs. The final check belonged to either doctor prior to testing._

_“The weapon tested the day of the fire was tested by the workers alone. They waited until Dr. Bulma Briefs was on her lunch break, which was clocked in on the computer system before the initial test time was documented. The CC computer system recorded this and sent it to the office for documentation, so we know the testing happened on both Dr. Trunks Briefs’s day off and Dr. Bulma Briefs’s lunch break. The rumors circulating about the elder doctor approving these tests was also disproved. The employees responsible for the test have been dealt with accordingly._

_“That then begs the question of what will become of Capsule Corp. now. Dr. Briefs left the company and all of its assets to his only child, Bulma. She is acting as the president and head scientist now. Until her voice returns, I, Chi-Chi Ox and vice-president, will act as the go-between. CC will no longer have a weapons division, though the work Dr. Bulma Briefs and her father made on a gravity unit for the government space center will be continued by Bulma and Bulma alone as per her request. Capsule Corp. will only be a company of home improvement. If any changes are made, they will occur after Dr. Briefs regains her voice and can publicly make the announcement.”_

* * *

After Chi-Chi finished talking, the press began to ask their questions regarding Bulma’s voice loss, the company, Chi-Chi’s skills as spokeswoman, and the bigger question of where Bulma was staying now that her family home had been destroyed. Some reporters even called Bulma’s reliability into question seeing as she was not the one doing the talking and that she was grieving over the loss of her parents. Some executives were caught whispering before the conference about not wanting to work with a grieving woman.

Chi-Chi was an emotional woman, and the attacks on her friend were beginning to enrage her. She was about to scold the masses when Vegeta stepped up to the podium and held her back. He knew that she needed to be seen as the rational source right now. If anyone should be the one to berate the press, it was him.

“Tell me,” he said calmly into the microphone, “how many of you have lost your parents.” Silence followed his statement. “I’ve seen many lives lost in my job and I have suffered my own loss. Let me be the first to tell you that some of our best work is done when we are grieving because it is a welcome distraction to the pain of loss. If you would truly refuse business from someone, man or woman, while they grieve, then you show how low you really are and other companies will refuse deals with you. Karma, if you will. But by all means, go ahead and keep attacking Ms. Briefs. One slander towards her will be one towards you.”

Vegeta walked away from the podium, back to Bulma’s side. She looked at him and silently thanked him with her eyes. He simply nodded to her and motioned back to the crowd.

Chi-Chi smiled, thankful that Vegeta had been the one to say what she wanted to yell to them. She turned back to the prong and said, “A memorial service for Dr. Trunks Briefs and his wife, Panchy, will be held tonight at St. Mark’s church down the street to support the crowd of people that may come. All of you are welcome to come as it will be open to the public. The press will not be permitted on the premises unless they are coming as civilians. No photography will be allowed as per Bulma’s request. Thank you.”

* * *

The men and women of the firehouse watched as Chi-Chi walked away from the podium and guided Bulma and Vegeta out as the press continued to ask more questions, for example, who was the man who defended the grieving woman. Their questions were ignored, especially since Vegeta needed to keep Bulma’s staying with him a secret to protect her from the press. She didn’t need the added aggravation and constant questioning.

Nappa wasn’t surprised that Vegeta defended Bulma. Raditz and Yamcha didn’t seem surprised either. Some of the other employees, volunteers, and interns were, and Rodney definitely was. It made the man realize that there was a lot about Vegeta he did not know. He wanted to know. Maybe he’d talk to Vegeta when he came back to work on Monday, but for now the flame-haired youth needed to help his friend make it through the rest of the weekend.

“So, are we going to the service?” Kakarot asked after the other workers went back to their stations. Raditz nodded to him while still staring at the TV. Now the reporters were making claims and speculations about their friend and who he was to the ‘Briefs girl’ as they called her.

“They may need someone to keep the press out,” Nappa stated. “We might as well do what we can to make this easier for her.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Yamcha said jumping onto the bandwagon.

“Yeah, about that,” Raditz stated, “since when did you care?”

“I saw them together,” Yamcha explained. “She’s suffering a lot right now. I just want to help.”

Raditz seemed skeptical, but if Yamcha was offering to let their confrontation go then he didn’t mind it. “Let’s just get through the rest of the day,” he said. “We’ll all meet up at the church later.”

* * *

For the press conference, Vegeta disregarded Chi-Chi’s speech about dressing formally; however, Vegeta planned on dressing up for church. It had irritated Chi-Chi that he hadn’t worn his blue, button-down shirt and black slacks earlier for the press conference. Vegeta just waved her off and went to go check on Bulma.

He found her crying in the guestroom, like he expected, and sat next to her on the bed. Bulma instantly latched onto him like she normally did when she was hysterical. Vegeta would never know until she could speak that she clung to him because he was her only constant, her rock and support, and she needed him. She needed the comfort that he provided her without knowing. If he wasn’t going with her that night to the service, she didn’t even think she’d be able to go.

It was terrible that she wouldn’t even be able to give her parents a proper burial. She closed her eyes to avoid thinking about how she saw them die, burning in the flames. Leaving the scene was something she never wanted to do, but she wasn’t thinking rationally at the time. Vegeta had been there to think rationally for her. There was nothing she could do to show him how truly grateful she was. Even writing ‘thank you’ could never hold the same effect as her verbally thanking him. She wished she could convey her thoughts to him that didn’t involve writing.

Vegeta held Bulma and rubbed comforting circles on her back. She started to calm down again. He wanted so much to tell her everything was going to be okay, but he just didn’t know. He didn’t know anything. All he knew was that he had been in a place to help her, and he was thankful for that. He looked down to check on her only to see her looking up at him, her face red and eyes glistening from tears. He took his free hand and ran in through her hair a few times in hopes to comfort her. Bulma closed her eyes and shivered slightly before she hugged him harder and refused to let him go.

Vegeta checked his watch and saw that they had a little bit of time to kill and thought it would be best to get Bulma to rest. He moved to lay her down, but she silently panicked and tightened her grip on him while looking at him with fearful eyes.

“It’s all right,” he said softly. “I’m not going to leave you. We have some time to rest before your friend comes to get us.”

Bulma nodded, though her eyes were still saddened. There was so much she wanted to say. It was so frustrating that she couldn’t utter one word or sound until the doctor gave her the all clear. In her emotional state, her thoughts were clouded and she could only think of one way to convey any of her emotions and gratitude towards Vegeta.

Vegeta watched her skeptically when she placed one of her arms behind his head. He didn’t know what to say or do when he felt her fingers in his hair. He seemed to freeze at the contact, waited for her next move without knowing what it could be. Before he knew it, he felt Bulma’s lips on his cheek. It shocked him so much that he jumped, and their lips nearly touched. They pulled away from each other briefly before Bulma pressed her lips lightly against his.

Vegeta had never felt any feelings like the ones he was feeling now. After Bulma pulled away, he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. He could have reflected for hours on what just happened. He recalled the past where he had shot down any offers from girls his age. After his parents passed away, Vegeta never wanted to care about anyone as strongly as he had them. Relationships and dating didn’t appeal to him.

Now, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to care about anyone, but Raditz had been right. Just because he told himself he didn’t care didn’t mean it was true. Vegeta shook his head to try to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t think back if he was going to help Bulma move forward that night. He needed to stay strong and avoid thinking of his own problems for just one night.

Meanwhile, Bulma was thinking about Vegeta’s reaction to her kissing him. At first, he had been shocked, but then when she kissed his lips she could feel him slightly kiss back. He wasn’t saying anything, wasn’t doing anything except holding her close. Part of her wondered if she had crossed a line and now he was avoiding making eye contact or if he had felt something in the kiss like she had. If only she could ask him. Unfortunately for her, this wasn’t a conversation to be held by writing on her board. She just held onto the hope that she hadn’t crossed a line.

A few more moments of silence passed before Vegeta finally sighed and sat up. “Hey,” he called out in a soothing voice. “We should probably eat something before we leave. I don’t know how long the service will be.”

Bulma smiled up at him realizing that her hope held truth. Vegeta still planned to go forward with their arrangement and take care of her. Regardless of his cold exterior, the man had a heart. She could always tell these things with people which was useful when making business deals for her father’s company… Well, now her company. All of this was new to her. The times of her being the woman who aided her father were gone now, that chapter over. A new chapter was beginning and, thankfully, she didn’t have to deal with it on her own.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

The church was crowded with people who came to pay their respects for Bulma’s parents. Vegeta assumed a lot of people would come, especially since the couple was so famous. Still, seeing how kind and real the people were acting towards Bulma made Vegeta’s opinion of people change slightly. He expected them to act like the vulturous reporters. He was pleasantly surprised that not everyone was there for money and their attempts at gaining a story. He was also silently thankful that no one was doing anything to attack or upset Bulma as they did at the press conference. People couldn’t be that heartless.

Vegeta noticed Nappa, Raditz, Kakarot, and surprisingly Yamcha enter the church. His friends circulated among the people to make sure none of them were reporters hiding cameras. Part of Vegeta was thankful they were able to. He couldn’t look around. His place was at Bulma’s side to hold her steady while people came up to her. She couldn’t thank them for coming; that was Chi-Chi’s job. Vegeta couldn’t help but think about what must be going through Bulma’s head. Later, he would make sure to pay attention to her and whatever she needed to write. If she couldn’t tell him what she was feeling, she would have to write it. He didn’t want her to go to bed upset.

Bulma tried not to focus on what this service meant. She knew she needed to accept her parents’ deaths, but right now it was too new and sad. She instead tried to place herself somewhere else in thought. Where she still acknowledged the people there to pay their respects, she didn’t have to respond to them. It was perfectly acceptable for her to think of other things while Chi-Chi thanked them for her.

She decided to think back to what happened at Vegeta’s apartment. If she ever decided to tell Chi-Chi, her friend would think she was insane. She was an emotional wreck distraught over her parents’ deaths and she only knew Vegeta for about a week. Kissing him probably wasn’t the smartest idea. She could at least sleep peacefully knowing that she hadn’t crossed a line. Vegeta’s actions during and after the kiss showed her that he was interested, but it also showed that he cared enough about her to not push her. Maybe, after living with him a few more weeks, she would be able to think more clearly and figure out what her feelings meant. Right now, she was just content and thankful that Vegeta was standing close to her with his hands on her sides though they occasionally moved up to rub her shoulders and provide silent comfort as so many people came to acknowledge her parents. Bulma was happy that her parents made such an impact on the people of the city.

When the ceremony was about to start, Vegeta and Chi-Chi guided Bulma to sit down in the front. She was less responsive when she started to think about everything she ever witnessed her parents do. She didn’t know if she’d be able to fill their shoes, but she hoped that she could.

* * *

The ceremony was a blur to her. Even when Chi-Chi read the eulogy Bulma wrote, Bulma tried to distance herself from the funeral. Vegeta brought her attention back when he pulled the grieving girl into a hug. He didn’t care if anyone was watching. All he knew was that Bulma needed comfort and reassurance.

Bulma fought the tears that threatened to fall, but Vegeta whispered into her ear not to let the press’s and businessmen’s words affect her. She had the right to mourn and everyone in this church would accept it. She knew he was right and eventually surrendered to her sadness. People around them did understand her emotional plight. They nodded to Vegeta as he patted the young girl’s back. No one knew who he was, but they knew he was taking good care of someone they held in high esteem.

When the ceremony was over, the congregation made their way to a ritzy restaurant for a luncheon. Those who weren’t able to give their condolences at the church did so here, but Bulma just wanted to leave. She wasn’t hungry and she didn’t feel all too great either. She was about to ask Vegeta if they could leave, but then his friends showed up.

“Hey Bulma,” Kakarot said in a friendly voice. “How are you feeling?”

She felt the need to force a smile on her face, but Vegeta saw through it. He answered for her. “It’s been a long day, Kakarot.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Raditz stated with understanding. “Are you holding up okay?”

Bulma nodded weakly, but she did flash Vegeta’s friends a small, but sad smile. It was then she noted Yamcha and looked up to Vegeta questioningly. “That’s Yamcha,” he explained. “He works with us at the station.”

Yamcha was surprised Vegeta didn’t call him out, but he knew it wasn’t the time. He wondered if the grieving youth thought about the conversation at all. He mentally answered himself a ‘probably not’ seeing as Vegeta was busy helping Bulma get ready for all of the stuff going on that day.

Bulma tugged on Vegeta’s jacket which caused him to look at her. “Do you need anything?” he asked softly.

Bulma wrote down on her board that she wanted to leave. She honestly believed that she had seen as many people as she could handle. She felt horrible and didn’t want to stay around people who probably would try to tell stories or catch up. She didn’t know half of these people and she couldn’t relate to them. They couldn’t relate to her either. It’s not like she had any family there since her parents kind of broke away from them. She knew Chi-Chi would understand if she left. Right now, her friend was probably off somewhere in the crowd with her father.

“Sure, we can head home,” Vegeta told her. He then said, “Excuse us,” to his friends, and the two of them walked past them to head to the exit. The four watched them with worry, but they did understand the girl’s desire to head home.

* * *

Vegeta really didn’t wanted to take Bulma home without them eating, so they ended up going towards the bay. Bulma had no idea where Vegeta was taking her, but she trusted him. He ended up bringing her to a small seafood restaurant by the water so they could look out into the bay. He figured seafood was just bland enough for her to be able to eat it.

Bulma didn’t want to eat, but Vegeta wouldn’t accept that so she decided to give in. They both had the Fish n’ Chips order since neither of them wanted anything heavy. Bulma couldn’t believe something so simple tasted so good. She looked at Vegeta questioningly. He would have had to know how good this place was. He hadn’t brought her there on a wimp.

“When I was a kid, my parents used to bring me here,” he told her. “I rarely ever come because it brings back a lot of memories that I’d rather not deal with, but it’s hard to deny how good the food is. Usually, I just sit outside and think while looking out into the bay. It’s been about a year since I’ve actually eaten here.”

Bulma’s eyes widened when she realized that Vegeta was sharing something so personal with her. He hadn’t really talked about his parents since she had been around, and he drank a lot after the one time she mentioned them. She wondered why he was talking about them now.

 _“I’m sure they were great people,”_ she wrote. _“They had to be to have a wonderful son like you.”_

Vegeta looked down at his food and started at it intently. His brow furrowed slightly as he went back into his own thoughts. He knew he probably shouldn’t have mentioned them for his own sake, but part of him wanted to open up. It had been so long since he had someone to talk to that he didn’t feel he needed to hide everything from. As a child, Vegeta confided in Nappa. As a teen, he tried to bury it deep down inside of him and hide his feelings from everyone. With Bulma, he wanted to be consoled, but right now that was what she needed.

Then she asked the question that Vegeta had not wanted to answer the entire time. _“Does it ever get easier?”_

Vegeta didn’t want to admit that he was still grieving, and he didn’t want to give her hope when he wasn’t sure of the answer himself. He finally admitted the truth to her, and he planned to only admit it to her. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It hasn’t for me yet. I don’t know if it ever will.”

Bulma was slightly surprised by Vegeta’s answer but, with the way she felt that day, she got it. She didn’t know if things would ever feel normal for her again. What Vegeta was saying was what she feared. It was then she remembered how much Vegeta drank the night she mentioned his parents. She wondered if alcohol consumption was his coping mechanism. If it was, she knew that would hurt him more. It wasn’t like she could say anything, but even she was worried about him. She’d have to watch him to make sure he didn’t drink anything tonight. She didn’t know how to do that yet without bringing the matter to attention.

* * *

They finished their meal before Vegeta paid the check. Bulma tried to grab the bill before him, but Vegeta was too fast for her. She pouted at him making the flame-haired man chuckle. After the waiter came to take it, the two of them left and started to walk around the bay.

There were so many shops on the waterfront. There was even a candy store which Bulma wanted to go to. She figured they should get some candy comfort food like she and her mother always did on difficult days. Maybe, if Vegeta truly was going to alcohol, she could help him change his habit.

Bulma bought them different types of fudge, some chocolate covered strawberries (her favorite), some homemade candies, and chocolate covered popcorn.

“Woman, what on Earth are we going to do with all this chocolate?” Vegeta remarked after the left the shop.

 _“Eat it,”_ she answered. _“It’s the best comfort food ever.”_

“You are a mystery,” he replied as the two of them headed home.

When they got home, Bulma went to search Vegeta’s small collection of movies. She realized that he had a lot of action movies, mostly war movies, but that he did have a few comedies. She chose one of those and then popped it into the DVD player. Vegeta watched her with his arms crossed. He leaned against the wall as he observed her movements. She seemed slightly livelier, which meant that his decision to take her to the waterfront proved to be a smart choice. He wanted to make her happy somehow. It amazed him that his idea actually worked.

Bulma was happy about spending some time with Vegeta that didn’t involve talking, but still involved comfort. After the DVD was in, she sat down on the couch and grabbed the bag of chocolate. She then looked over to Vegeta hopefully and patted the spot next to her.

Vegeta used his body to push himself off the wall and went to sit next to her. She handed him some of the chocolate and the two of them snacked while they watched the previews. Vegeta planned to just watch some of it but, when Bulma leaned against him, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Letting out a small sigh, he took his arm that Bulma was leaning against and wrapped it around her, holding her close.

Bulma smiled when Vegeta did this. She felt so relieved and safe with him. All she hoped was that he felt the same way. She hoped that, over time, she and Vegeta would be able to get past the pain, and she knew that, if they were with each other, it was definitely a possibility.

* * *

About a week later, Bulma was still feeling a sense of happiness. Vegeta took her to her doctor—he was going in late to work—and the doctor said she was making progress. Her vocal cords were healing, but she still had a ways to go. The doctor told her to continue whatever she had been doing, but decided to mandate she take vitamins to make sure she was keeping healthy. According to him, with the cold weather coming, she couldn’t afford to get sick during the healing. He also suggested she make an appointment to get the flu vaccine if she planned on returning to work because the virus would probably be circulating. She agreed seeing as she didn’t want to catch anything that could affect her recovery. She just wanted to talk again.

Vegeta brought her home and made sure that Bulma had lunch before he left. It pleased him that she seemed to be handling everything okay. He realized that when he spent time with her, the woman had a lighter spirit. After their movie night, he decided that he should spend more time with her. Socializing was something he dreaded but, if it made Bulma happy, he would do it.

Still, he needed some time alone. He lied and told her he had work after her appointment, but really he felt the need for a drink. He hadn’t been to the bar in quite a while other than the night they got dinner food there. Going to the bar probably wasn’t wise, and neither was lying to Bulma, but Vegeta needed the momentary solitude. He was still having issues in regards to his feelings.

He entered the bar and just ordered a beer and some lunch. Vegeta wanted his thoughts to be silenced for a little while, and most of them were about Bulma. One was that Vegeta felt slightly better the night of the funeral. Talking to Bulma seemed to alleviate some of his grief and, where it was important to let go and move on, he was afraid. He was afraid to let go of his parents. It was irrational, but he felt that if he did he would be putting his memories of them behind him as well. That wasn’t appealing to him.

The second thought was that he really felt at ease around Bulma. He could feel in his heart that he definitely had feelings for her, and that also scared him. He lost two people he loved, and he didn’t want there to be a possibility of losing another he cared for.

Vegeta felt a hand on his shoulder as someone sat next to him. He ignored whoever it was and continued to sip his beer. He was about to order another when a familiar voice said, “Two please.”

Vegeta turned to look at Yamcha. He was highly irritated that somehow this guy, who once tried to cause problems for him at work, found a way into his life all because he saw him with Bulma that one night. Also, Yamcha tried to get him in trouble with his boss for drinking and now he was buying him a drink. What was his angle?

“You would have bought another, anyway,” Yamcha answered his unasked question. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you.”

“We have nothing to discuss,” Vegeta replied as his second beer was placed in his hand. He started to take slow sips.

“Well, actually,” Yamcha stated, “after your reaction the other day, I was worried I overstepped again. I really am sorry for bringing your drinking to everyone’s attention, but why do you do it? I can tell it’s not just for the sake of getting drunk.”

Vegeta grimaced at the cup in front of him and pushed it to the back of the table. “Again I say, it is none of your business. What I do in my life should have no consequence to you, so you can go back to those girls you go after.”

Yamcha laughed slightly. “Vegeta, there’s really nothing going on between me and them,” he explained. “I was pissed at you for suggesting it as a way to get back at me, but you didn’t know about me, either.”

“Oh?” Vegeta scoffed. “Then who were they?”

“Fans,” Yamcha answered. When Vegeta looked at him like he was crazy, he added, “I used to play baseball in college. I was in the minor league. I was hoping to be a pro but I injured myself playing, so I couldn’t. It wasn’t so severe an injury that I couldn’t do physical stuff, but it was an injury that wouldn’t hold up in a major league game.” He paused for a moment as he reflected on it. “Anyways, those girls that I’ve been leaving with recognized me because of their brothers or cousins and wanted autographs for them and I happened to have stuff in my car.”

Vegeta was surprised, but still, it didn’t make him feel any differently. Yamcha still shouldn’t get an automatic ‘in’ to his life because he offered him an opening into his. “Fine,” Vegeta muttered. “I should have taken my own advice. Now leave me alone. I’m not looking to interact with people today.”

“What’s been going on with you, Vegeta?” Yamcha questioned. “You haven’t seemed like yourself all week. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Of course I am,” Vegeta replied blandly. “My guardian or friends would have gotten involved if they thought for a moment—”

“Vegeta, they’ve been worried too,” Yamcha told him. “That’s why I’m here. They were just talking about how worried they were you were going to try to hide whatever was bothering you, so I decided to check if you were here on my lunch break. I didn’t want to tell them I thought you were at the bar, or they would have surely been here with us.”

Vegeta snorted in derision. At least Yamcha was honest enough to tell him the others were worried about him again. He still was avoiding Nappa who kept trying to call him every day to make plans. Since it was his day off, Nappa told him he would be over at the apartment that night and he would be taking him somewhere. Vegeta felt like he was being double-teamed but, unlike Yamcha, Nappa had a right to be concerned. Knowing, though, he was worrying his guardian made him feel a little guilty.

Vegeta stood up from the table, left some money for his food, and then walked away without saying ‘goodbye’ to Yamcha. In his mind, the man didn’t deserve it. Yamcha just watched him go and sighed as he went back to his own beer, his eyes on Vegeta’s. “Well, at least he didn’t finish it.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Vegeta waited patiently outside of his apartment. When he returned home, Bulma acted very attentive to him. After his conversation with Yamcha and the fact that Nappa was coming to take him somewhere, he really needed to find some other way to de-stress. He found that the one drink he had did absolutely nothing. It was the first time in a while he thought that the drink had not been worth it.

Anyways, he didn’t want Bulma to know what was going on with him, so he stayed quiet and said he was going out. Bulma just smiled and nodded before she went back to work on some type of report for the company she now had to run. It impressed him that she could focus on so much work while not truly being able to discuss it with her employees. She had to keep texting Chi-Chi to relay messages for her.

So now, Vegeta waited. Where was Nappa that it was taking him so long to get there from work? Vegeta mentally promised that if Nappa and his friends were planning an intervention, he would pummel Yamcha for ratting him out. When Vegeta saw Nappa’s car turn the corner, he knew he’d have to deal with whatever this was sooner rather than later.

Nappa stopped the car in front of the apartment and rolled his window down. He looked jovial and smirked at Vegeta before he ordered, “Get in, kid.”

Vegeta scoffed but did as he was told. As soon as he was in and buckled, Nappa drove off. Vegeta had no idea where his guardian was taking him, especially when they left city limits. At least the youth knew he wasn’t going to any kind of intervention at Kakarot’s place. That was the last thing he needed.

* * *

Nappa stopped off at a small cemetery outside of the city. He caught Vegeta’s questioning gaze and said, “I haven’t visited your parents in a long while. I thought you would want to join me with everything going on.”

Vegeta was shocked, but he tried not to let it show. He tried to think of ways to get closure all week; however, the young man had no idea how to get it. Maybe Nappa caught on more than Vegeta thought he would and brought him here to try to help him. How Nappa picked up on it, Vegeta didn’t know. Regardless of their recent conversation, Vegeta thought he had been able to hide his true grief.

The two of them walked into the cemetery and Nappa led Vegeta to the memorial gravesite. Vegeta just stood in silence as Nappa put his hand on the stone.

“Did you know that your parents almost didn’t get married?” he asked Vegeta. Vegeta’s eyes shot to him immediately. “They almost got a divorce too when you were really little.”

“Why?” Vegeta asked, his voice sounding like that of an interested child. His parents never told him that before.

“Well, your mother’s family never approved of the marriage even when Vegeta asked for permission,” Nappa explained. “Your mother was a businesswoman, as you know, and her family was very wealthy. They didn’t approve of her marrying a firefighter.”

Vegeta grunted and shook his head. “People like that irritate me,” Vegeta told him. “Like they had any say.”

Nappa shrugged. “They believed they did, but when your mother told your father, they decided to elope after the idea of calling it off came up. Your father reasoned with your mother. They loved each other.”

“Then why did the almost get divorced?” Vegeta asked.

“Your mother’s parents were interfering with their lives,” Nappa replied. “They were partners with the business your mother worked for and they threatened her job at the request of the parents. They wanted her to leave your father, and when she told him he took it the wrong way and came to me. I told him to go back home and talk with her. That’s when the two of them decided that they didn’t need her family. Your mother found a new job and quit the other place. She never spoke to her parents again.”

“Did they know?”

Nappa looked at Vegeta’s fallen expression. Unfortunately, Vegeta was too smart to let the question of whether they knew about him or not go unanswered. The older man sighed and answered the question as delicately as he could. “Not at first,” Nappa explained. “Your parents did try to contact them when they had you, but her family never contacted them back. They only called once they heard on the news that they had died in the crash. I was angry and I blamed them since she had to leave a job where she didn’t have to travel only to take a job where she did. They blamed me for not reasoning with my friend and breaking them up. Then when I told them about you, they asked to talk to you, but you were already so distraught, I didn’t know what they’d say to you.”

Vegeta just stared at the tombstone as he absorbed the new information. “I wouldn’t have wanted to talk to people who tried to break up my parents anyway,” he assured Nappa. “You made the right call.”

Nappa chuckled slightly. “I tried,” he said before a sigh escaped him. “Vegeta,” he called causing the boy to look at him, “I always tried to do right by you after your parents died. They would have wanted you to be happy and not still be mourning them like this and drinking your troubles away. You know your dad was an alcoholic, right?” Vegeta shook his head. “That’s because I got him help back in high school. Like you, he lost his parents.”

Vegeta’s eyes widened at the revelation. His parents never discussed their families, and now he realized why, but knowing that his dad had experienced the same problems he did was slightly overwhelming. He swallowed a few times in attempts to speak, his voice hoarsely asked, “Why…why didn’t they tell me any of that?”

Nappa sighed and rubbed his bald head. He expected the question and had an answer, but he knew Vegeta wouldn’t accept it. “You were a child, Vegeta,” he told him. “You were a very happy and imaginative child. They didn’t want to taint your view of the world at the time.”

“What view?” Vegeta spat. “The one where nothing could go wrong that shattered the day the plane crashed? The one where my parents promised me I’d see them in a few days and we’d go on a camping trip and then never came home save in a body bag? Or how about the one where I told my dad I wanted to join the precinct because I thought I could be a ‘superhero’ just like him…because I believed nothing could hurt us…and he said ‘okay’?”

Vegeta stopped his tirade and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Nappa frowned at how upset he was, but he would have rather had Vegeta unload on him than have him running to the bar.

“I grew up,” he continued, though his voice was both softer and sadder than his tirade. “The world is crap, Nappa. I loved my parents a lot, but I’m also upset that they didn’t think to prepare me for any of it. When I lost them…Nappa, I lost that piece of myself that held hope that everything would work out. Maybe that’s why I still mourn.”

Nappa surprised Vegeta when he pulled him into a hug. “Then I failed you, too. It was my responsibility to make sure you were okay. I thought you were, but obviously I was wrong. I let the one kid I saw as a son suffer this long. I should have had this discussion with you a long time ago.”

Vegeta didn’t like hearing Nappa blame himself for how he was feeling. The youth accepted that he made himself feel the way he did all on his own. “You didn’t fail me,” he said, his voice veiled in false irritation. “If anything, I avoided talking with you about my parents because I didn’t want to think about it. I don’t want to care.”

“But you do care,” Nappa told him, “because you were and are truly a loving son. That part of you that you think you lost…it still exists inside you. The boy that trusts that things will work out is still in there somewhere, and he’s right.” Nappa held Vegeta back so that they could be eye-to-eye. “Do not ever give up. I know that I can’t control what you do. If you choose to drink to cope, I know that I can’t stop you. I know that you are careful, just like your father was. Please, do me a favor.” Vegeta nodded when Nappa paused in his request. “If it gets out of hand, come to me. We’ll work through it together. I can’t force you to see the problem now.”

Vegeta growled slightly at what he was about to admit. “I know it’s a problem,” he said, “but it helps. I only drink a little on the nights where it all truly haunts me.”

Nappa hoped that Vegeta would start slowly changing his mind after learning about his father’s problem, but if it was anything like his friend, Vegeta needed to want to change. He was no longer a child under his care, so Nappa couldn’t take matters into his own hands. Vegeta had to come to him willingly. At least he knew the option was there, now. But there was still something Nappa wanted to know.

“How long have you been?” he asked.

Vegeta scoffed, though with a hint of an amused laugh. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I was already twenty-one. I was depressed, not stupid.”

“Sometimes a thin line exists between the two,” Nappa stated quietly, though Vegeta heard him. Then Nappa brought up the other thing he wanted. “I want you to come over with Bulma at least once a week. I kind of miss having you around, and I figure she’d want to get out of the apartment more.”

Vegeta nodded his slightly reluctant agreement. One of the reasons he wanted to move out on his own in the beginning was to avoid strengthening his and Nappa’s bond. Nappa already claimed that he saw the youth as a son, but Vegeta was reluctant to admit that he saw Nappa as a father figure. Still, he realized that Nappa was right when he said his childish self still existed in some way. He tried to push everyone away to prevent caring about them, but he failed. Nappa was right; Raditz was right. He did care, about all of them and about Bulma and, because he cared about all of them, he needed them too.

“I want to go home,” Vegeta stated, “but I’m willing to do something like this again. There’s more I want to hear about them. We don’t have to come out here next time, though.”

Nappa smirked slightly having gotten a positive response from Vegeta. “Yeah, sure kid,” he replied. “I have many more stories to tell you.”

He and Vegeta walked back to the car together. The drive home was quiet, and Nappa wondered what Vegeta was thinking about. Vegeta didn’t even know what he was thinking. Part of him didn’t want to think, and this time he wasn’t interested in grabbing a can when he got home.

* * *

Bulma finished e-mailing Chi-Chi all of the notes she wanted her to mention for a big deal. The Capsule Corp. manager had worked hard the last couple of days to prove that she could handle the job. Thankful that Vegeta made everything easier for her—making sure she had meals to heat up and getting her the things she needed when she asked—Bulma was handling everything pretty well. Soon other companies would realize it too, just as soon as the deal went through. Now that she was done with her work for the day, Bulma leaned back in the dining room chair. She debated the idea of making her way towards the couch to lie down, but she didn’t want to move.

Vegeta went out about an hour before the current time and Bulma wondered what time he’d be home. He obviously didn’t have to check in with her, but she did worry about him. She only hoped that he would get there before her body decided to crash somewhere, because Vegeta would leave her asleep when he got back. If she wanted to see him back safe, she needed to stay up and wait.

She nodded off slightly but was jolted awake when she heard the sound of a car door and someone hurrying up the stairs. She smiled knowing it had to be Vegeta, but she didn’t understand the rush. She would only understand once he made it into the apartment.

Vegeta went into his apartment and looked around for Bulma. When he noticed her in the living room, his expression softened and his mind blanked when he saw her smiling face. He hurried over to her, then pulled her into a hug and breathed in her scent as he held her close. He sighed a breath of relief; grip on her tightened.

Bulma had no idea why Vegeta was behaving this way, but it made her feel relief. He had been somewhat distant the majority of the week aside from getting her the things she needed. Bulma was almost afraid that she had upset him too much. His action now erased all of her worries. She responded by wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Vegeta’s mind was on autopilot as he held her. All he wanted to do was hold her and focus on her. Bulma didn’t seem to mind it much. He then thought back to their kiss earlier in the week. At that time, he didn’t want to feel or to take advantage of Bulma’s grief, so he did what he expected of himself and avoided the whole thing while he helped her through her grief. Now, he wanted to break that barrier. He already admitted he cared. The rational thing would be to allow himself to feel something as well.

Vegeta pulled away from Bulma causing the blue-haired girl to look up at him with her equally blue eyes. He took her chin gently in his hand and placed a longing kiss on her lips. It didn’t surprise him when she kissed him back. He didn’t push it further, his innocence and inexperience showed a bit. It didn’t matter to Bulma as she was in the same boat at him.

When Vegeta stopped kissing her, he pressed his forehead to hers and just took a few more deep breaths. Bulma wanted to say something, wanted to ask him if he was okay when she saw his troubled face and determined that he was trying to calm himself. This whole thing with her voice really upset her, especially because she wanted to be able to tell her friend that whatever was bothering him would be okay. He looked like he needed the reassurance.

“Sorry,” Vegeta attempted to say without his voice sounding so overwhelmed.

Bulma just smiled at him and took his face in her hands. She shook her head at him. The smile never left her face as she mouthed, ‘It’s okay’, before she placed a kiss on his forehead.

Vegeta felt at ease with her and took one of her hands in his. “I’m going to bed,” he told her. Although he released her hand, he added, “Please come with me.”

Bulma nodded and followed him to his room. Just like he had done with her when she was upset, she climbed into his bed with him, his arms around her shoulders as she laid against his chest. She smiled when she started to hear him snore lightly. What upset him, Bulma didn’t think she’d be able to figure it out, but it didn’t matter. Despite not being able to use her voice, she managed to comfort Vegeta, and that thought made her very happy. She joined Vegeta in sleep soon after and they spent the rest of the night in peaceful slumber.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Nappa could see a slight change in Vegeta’s attitude after the day he brought him to the cemetery. It seemed that the youth had a different outlook hearing some of the stories his parents never told him. The elder man had not lied when he said there were many more stories to tell. He never had a problem with his friends’ method of raising Vegeta. He had been a child, meant to be naïve and a dreamer, but the tragic accident cut his childhood short. It was Nappa’s job to tell Vegeta these things and he should have, but back then, whenever he mentioned Vegeta’s parents, the boy would find some way to change the subject to something else.

Vegeta had been a good student, active and diligent, so Nappa never really questioned it. The two of them would talk about many things when Vegeta came home. Vegeta hid his distress so well back then, but now that he was older, many were starting to take notice. He wondered if the drinking was Vegeta’s way of unconsciously crying for help.

Whether or not Vegeta was drinking or sober, Nappa didn’t know. What he did know, however, was that Vegeta seemed more confident lately. Weeks passed and Vegeta kept his promise to go to his guardian’s house with Bulma. The strange thing was that Bulma seemed much happier and livelier as well. They both seemed to do a complete 180 between the week of the funeral and now. Nappa didn’t know what had transpired but, whatever it was, he was glad it had.

It was another day at the firehouse. Raditz and Katie were talking by the coffee station about date plans for the weekend while Kakarot was off speaking with some of the newer volunteers. Vegeta was watching the news while hoping there wouldn’t be any fires that day. Every time his shift was almost over, he would be very aware of it, worrying that what happened with Bulma would happen again. Surprisingly, he didn’t even act combative when Yamcha joined him, the latter saying he wanted to check out the baseball scores. Vegeta even made a joking comment or two towards Yamcha which caught everyone’s attention.

“Vegeta, what’s going on, man?” Raditz asked. “You’ve been acting completely different.”

Vegeta only smirked at the man before he said, “You were right,” and then walked away to clock out and head home. Raditz just watched him with a blank stare; he wondered what exactly Vegeta meant by that.

* * *

Vegeta returned to the apartment and found Bulma working at the dining room table—her temporary desk. He stood behind her, watched her, as she typed with speed he never had with computers. Eventually she paused in her typing and turned to face him, wearing a bright smile.

Something shifted between the two of them since Vegeta let go of his inhibitions. Vegeta never said anything about it, though, and Bulma could never voice her feelings, but somehow they knew. There was this rhythm they fell into that allowed them to see that they had feelings for each other. It was as if they were pushed together, though it did not feel forced. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. They decided to just run with it and not ask questions or delve deeper into what was going on. Neither of them needed that at this point.

Talking about their relationship could come later when Bulma had her voice back or Vegeta was willing to open up more. Right now, just being in the same room as each other could lighten their moods. For the first time in years, Vegeta felt as close to content as he ever believed he could get. Likewise, Bulma seemed lighter in spirit since her whole ordeal began.

Bulma pulled out the chair next to her to invite Vegeta to sit. He took her unspoken invitation, settled next to her, and held her right hand in his. Not having the use of both hands, Bulma typed slower, though she still typed very fast for someone only using one hand.

“What are you working on?” Vegeta asked in interest. He started to learn a little more about business ever since Bulma took the reins. He only asked simple questions to make it less difficult for Bulma to explain. One day, soon he hoped, he would be able to hear her explain more to him. He’d let her talk for days after she had to force herself to stay silent for so long.

Bulma stopped typing and picked up her board. _“Just some new policies and such. Nothing major. How was work?”_

“Fine,” Vegeta replied before he leaned his head against their entwined hands. For some reason, this small talk created nostalgic feelings within him. He wondered if this was what it was like at home with his parents. He had been a child, engaged in everything else, not noticing or appreciating moments between his parents as much as he would have as an adult.

The story Nappa told him had been on his mind constantly. Vegeta knew he was very little when his mother switched jobs. He vaguely remembered thinking it was an adventure, especially when he was able to travel with her and his father when the offices were in driving distance. He never realized that his mother was struggling, though he did remember questioning her on her mood a few times. His mother would always take him in her arms and place him on her lap. She would tell him she was okay with him there, but never anything about her parents. Since Nappa told him about his parents’ relationship, Vegeta sifted through a lot of his childhood memories to try to piece things together.

From what Nappa told him, and from what he remembered, his parents loved each other very much despite being from different worlds. He vented to Nappa saying that his parents didn’t prepare him for life but, having thought on it for a few days, he realized that he was projecting his anger. Life was unpredictable. His father was the one to teach him that, though Vegeta was too young to understand. The problems that his parents had…he wasn’t mad at them for keeping him in the dark. He had still been a young, naïve child. Maybe when he got older and more aware of the world around him, they would have told him. Regardless of what he knew or didn’t know, there was one thing he knew for certain now.

His parents had been happy, and they wanted him to be happy too. The future, as well as his feelings, was still unclear to him. Knowing that, it was at least a step in the positive direction that he was actually _feeling_ something again. He didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to feel again, but another phrase echoed through his head.

_“Love is a risk worth taking.”_

Vegeta realized just how many memories he had repressed over the years, not purposefully, and now he was starting to recall so many of them. He remembered being with his mother in her room, sitting on the bed as she took down her wedding dress down from her shelf for a friend Vegeta didn’t known. The child didn’t understand the importance of a wedding other than it being a party that his parents were going to. The child was excited about the prospect of staying up all night while Nappa would think him to be asleep.

He asked his mother why people got married and she had explained that they were devoting themselves to the person they loved. Somewhere in the conversation, she said that line Vegeta recalled. Back then, Vegeta hadn’t appreciated as much as he did in the present moment. Now that he knew the struggles she faced with her family, for the sole reason of loving his father and him, her wisdom touched him more than anything else. Those words held a deeper meaning.

He didn’t know if he was ‘in love’, but if that were the case it was something he’d want to explore.

The irony of the situation was that he was a firefighter while Bulma was a businesswoman. He wondered, if her parents were still alive, would cause problems for the girl? However, from what Bulma had managed to convey to him about her parents’ love as well as how well respected they were, he didn’t let his thoughts linger on it too much. Part of him felt like they would have accepted him when Bulma’s father had married a working-class woman. One day, in the future when Bulma could talk, Vegeta would tell her everything Nappa had told him. Maybe her parents experienced something similar to his.

Another epiphany struck him during his musings. He knew he could be as happy with Bulma as his parents and her parents had been. The thought both excited and frightened him. Now that he had a taste of happiness, he didn’t know if he’d ever want to relinquish it. At least, for now, he didn’t have to.

* * *

Kakarot hung out at home by himself after work. Raditz and Katie were out on their date night, so he was on his own. Earlier, he texted Chi-Chi. Sometime between her arrival at the firehouse and the press conference, she gave him her number. They had been communicating through text, but tonight Kakarot planned to meet up with her somewhere. He was just tying up some loose ends in the apartment when he heard a knock on the door.

There was no one that Kakarot expected to be at the door, so he quickly hurried to answer it hoping to deal with whoever it was swiftly. He felt very excited at the prospect of his potential date with Chi-Chi and wanted to meet her as soon as possible. The wide grin Kakarot wore quickly turned into a soured frowned when he saw who was at the door.

“Kakarot,” his father, Bardock’s, gruff voice greeted. The man nodded to his son which only served to cause the youth’s brows to furrow in confusion.

It had been years since either Raditz or Kakarot had spoken to Bardock. After they left him, Bardock hadn’t made any attempt to contact them. To say this was an unexpected surprise was an understatement. It was a rotten surprise, and unfortunately Kakarot was going to have to spoil both his and Raditz’s good night.

He stood in front of his father and texted an apology to Chi-Chi for needing to cancel last minute while quickly adding that his father randomly showed up and that there was probably going to be a big blowout. Then he texted Raditz who didn’t reply. Looking at his father once again, he saw the man’s firm glare set on him. He too narrowed his eyes at him.

“Bardock,” he said with equal gruffness.

Well, they were already off to a _great_ start.

* * *

Chi-Chi had been on her way to Kakarot’s apartment when she got the text. She had been looking forward to a relaxing night. Acting as Bulma’s voice wasn’t too stressful a job, and it was one she could handle, but the people she worked with made it nearly unbearable. The workers were angry about the new policies Bulma put forward. No one wanted to give up their skills in weapon building. Chi-Chi spent the majority of the day questioning workers and firing those who she knew would give her friend and the company a hard time. In hindsight, they were warned at the press conference. Bulma and Chi-Chi were both serious when they said Capsule Corp. would be completely home improvement and if anyone had problems with it they could work somewhere else. There were many people out there who were scheduled for interviews over the course of the next week that were just happy to do their jobs without question. When she scheduled the interviews, they were all very kind and understanding. Those people at least made the days bearable.

When Kakarot texted her, though, she grew concerned. She would text back and forth with him when she needed a break, and he never once mentioned his father. He hadn’t really mentioned anyone besides his brother. At first Chi-Chi believed that maybe Kakarot and Raditz lost their parents like Vegeta, so she never brought it up in fear she might upset him. It bothered her when he said that his father showed up ‘randomly’ and that there would be a ‘blowout.’ Both statements made it sound very serious, like the brothers hadn’t seen their father for a long time. She wondered what had happened between the three and why Kakarot and Raditz lived on their own away from their family.

She texted him a reply, that if he needed to talk she’d listen, and that their date was redeemable for the next day if he needed an escape. No reply was received that moment. Chi-Chi wondered what was going on.

In attempts to distract herself, she looked around the area where she was stuck in traffic and realized that she was somewhere near Vegeta’s apartment building. It was the perfect opportunity to visit her friend and see how she was doing. She had no reason to worry seeing as Bulma’s texts had not indicated distress. Actually, her text messages were about Vegeta a lot lately, about how he took her to a restaurant his parents used to take him to, how the two of them were getting out of the house more, and even that he engaged with her and allowed her time to converse with him. Vegeta didn’t seem like a bad guy to her, but she still did not expect him to be that outgoing. Still, she was thankful that he took such good care of her friend and distracted her when she needed it. It solidified her decision.

At the end of the crowded road, she turned left and headed for his apartment building. She was going to visit her friend and thank the man who had been taking care of her.

When she got there, the lights were out which made her think that maybe they weren’t home. Her thought was proven wrong when she heard the sounds of the television. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She decided to just go in.

Not wanting to scare them, she tiptoed to the living room and froze at what she saw. Bulma and Vegeta were cuddled up together on the couch while they watched some movie on TV. They both had soft smiles on their faces. One of Vegeta’s arms rested on the arm of the couch while the other was wrapped around her friend’s shoulders, their hands entwined. Bulma’s head was against his chest. Chi-Chi watched as her best friend looked up at Vegeta with the most peaceful gaze she had ever seen her friend cast. Vegeta took that as an invite to place a gentle kiss on her lips. They said nothing; they simply just…were. Chi-Chi smiled at the couple and backed out of the apartment, careful not to make a sound, and decided to lock the door for them.

She had not expected to see that scene when she stopped by, but she was very happy for her friend right now. She ignored the fact that their relationship had progressed so fast in a short time. It was obviously what they both needed. If her night had to be shot, then she was happy her friend’s wasn’t. It looked like Chi-Chi was going to spend her night relaxing at home and hoping to hear that things went okay with Kakarot’s father.

* * *

“So, what do you want?” Kakarot mumbled quietly. His attitude caused his father to glare and shake his head.

“Are you boys done playing around, or are you going to come home?” Bardock asked sternly.

Kakarot nearly scoffed a laugh. “Us? Playing around? Come home?” Kakarot repeated. “If I recall, you were the one who made our lives miserable and didn’t care that we left. Why would we come ‘home’, if we can even call that place a home? We’re perfectly happy being on our own.”

“You are both idiots,” Bardock retorted before he looked over to a clock. He had already been there for an hour; the two of them stared at each other for a while and did not talk until now. With that, every word his dad spouted out made Kakarot’s blood boil.

Kakarot stood up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table. “Oh yeah? Well at least we’re happy! Can you say the same about you? We’re not the idiots; you are!”

“And yet you are the one throwing a tantrum,” Bardock stated with a sigh, “showing me you are still an immature brat and that your brother is probably just as bad.”

“Leave Raditz out of this and tell me what this is really about,” Kakarot demanded. “You haven’t contacted us in over three years. Why now? Did you grow a conscience living on your own?”

“Enough!” Bardock exclaimed suddenly, surprising Kakarot as the man slammed his arm down on the table. “Whatever problem you have with me, swallow it. That’s the only way we can actually have a serious conversation. I’m not here to fight with you or your brother, so stop picking a fight with me. If you continue with your bitching, then I will be talking to your brother alone.”

“Not on your life,” Raditz said as he entered the apartment. Katie happened to be with him, and she did not look too pleased.

“Oh, hey Katie,” Kakarot greeted, though he wasn’t as jovial as normal.

“Hi, Kakarot,” she greeted softly.

Bardock looked at the girl and eyed her up and down with a scoff. “Another hussie? Really?”

“What are you doing here?” Raditz snapped harshly. “And don’t talk about my girlfriend that way. I don’t care if you don’t approve of the girls I date, but you will treat them with respect.”

“Hmph,” Bardock replied as he crossed his arms. “You’re as childish as your brother, though more firm than bitchy. I wonder why Kakarot hasn’t grown out of it.”

“I swear,” Raditz said darkly, “that if you don’t stop belittling my girlfriend or my brother that I will—”

“What?” Bardock interrupted. “What will you do?”

Raditz decided not to threaten him because he knew it would be turned around on him. “Just tell me why you’re here. I don’t have the patience for this tonight.”

“You and Kakarot are coming home,” Bardock mandated. “It’s high time you stop this rebellious act and do what your mother wanted.”

Kakarot blanked for a minute and then looked to Raditz. “What is he talking about?”

Raditz flashed Katie an apologetic look before he decided to explain to his brother something he hadn’t before. “Mom was a traditional woman, Kakarot, and her parents set her up with Dad like an arranged marriage. She wanted us to eventually marry these certain girls, and I didn’t want that. Dad tried to push me because he didn’t want me marrying for love like he fell for our mother.”

Kakarot looked at his father with wide, innocent eyes as the man glared at his eldest son. He was about to speak up before Raditz stopped him. “No, Dad, you don’t get to say anything. I don’t care what you want. I’m perfectly happy living my life and finding love in my own time. If Kakarot wants to stay with me, he’s an adult and can make his own decisions. I will not let you just march back in here and demand we leave and get married to people we don’t know when we aren’t ready for it. If that’s all, you can go.”

Bardock’s glare hardened as he looked at Kakarot. “And you?”

Kakarot was a little shocked about his parents’ marriage and the reason Raditz and his father always argued. It made a lot more sense now why Raditz dated so much in the past. He was trying to find someone he loved while his father pushed him to the idea of being with someone he never knew. Kakarot always defended Raditz, even though he didn’t know what the arguments were about, and was happy that he had. No one should ever be forced into that kind of life. “I’m staying with my brother,” he said calmly. “We’ve been happy so far. And we both love Mom, but arranged marriage isn’t for either of us. I’m sure she would have let us be as we got older.”

“You are both fools who will suffer the pain of heartbreak,” Bardock replied and then stood up. “If you choose this path, I cannot help you.”

He walked out of the apartment with everyone frozen in place. Once the door slammed, Raditz let out the breath he had been holding with Kakarot following suit. Raditz then turned to Katie and offered a sorrowful smile. “Sorry our night got cut short,” he sincerely apologized. “And thanks for offering to come with me. I’m sorry you had to deal with my family drama.”

Katie smiled at him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You warned me,” she stated, “and you did defend me, so I can’t be mad at you. I’m sorry our night got cut short as well. There’s always tomorrow, though. I should leave you boys to talk.”

Raditz nodded in agreement and squeezed the hand he removed from his shoulder before Katie left the apartment. He and Kakarot exchanged glances, Kakarot’s questioning Raditz for answers. “I never told you because of the reason you just said,” he explained. “Mom told me of how she _had_ wanted to set us up since that was how she was raised, but she said she truly fell in love with Dad and she wanted that for us more. It didn’t matter. Dad knew I wouldn’t change my mind, and you just wanted to come with me. He didn’t care because he figured I was just rebelling against him and taking you along for the ride. At the time, you didn’t need to know.”

“Fair enough,” Kakarot answered. “So why did he come to us now?”

Raditz scoffed. “I don’t give a damn,” he growled. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get back to our lives. Dad pretty much just kicked us out of his.”

Kakarot couldn’t disagree with his brother and just offered him his signature grin. “Yeah, we should get some rest. We do have work early, and you and I both have makeup dates.”

A quirked brow was Raditz’s respond. “Oh really? Bulma’s friend?”

“Uh-huh,” Kakarot replied. “So…good night?”

Raditz smirked at his brother. He placed his hands on Kakarot’s shoulders. “Good night, brother.” He released him and then walked to his room to turn in for the night. Kakarot seemed to be high in spirits after Raditz’s powerful statement; however, Raditz let out a deep breath of air as he slid down to the floor using his door as leverage.

He told Katie a while back about his father’s desires and she told him she didn’t hold his past player-like attitude against him because she knew he was serious about her. Tonight, on their date, they talked about their future and both admitted that they cared deeply for each other after a short time of knowing each other and an even shorter time dating. That revelation filled Raditz with so much joy, but then his father had to come to shatter that moment. Thankfully, Katie understood why his father would be showing up and offered to return home with him. She drove him back in her car. He would have been too frustrated to drive safely, and she suggested he go get his car in the morning instead of risking his life on the road. He was thankful she cared about his safety and wellbeing.

He hadn’t wanted Kakarot to know what exactly caused his father to be a bitter man and why he was always pressuring him. If Raditz had it his way, he would have taken that to the grave. He never counted on his father showing up after not hearing from him for more than three years, since Kakarot graduated high school. Raditz hadn’t been ready for it.

But if there was one thing Raditz learned, it was that no one was ever ready for their life to be turned upside-down. He knew his father wasn’t done with him, and he was not looking forward to whatever would happen next.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta knew something was wrong the second he saw his normally jovial friend sulking and not engaging with others. Normally, Vegeta was the one off brooding away from people. It did not leave a good feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He was not the type to give comfort or advice. Even how he acted around Bulma came as a surprise to him. Still, it felt unnatural to see Kakarot act so out of sorts. The flame-haired youth decided to do what he knew Kakarot would do for him and sat down next to him at the table, one that was furthest away from all the others.

“Hey,” he offered as a greeting.

A sigh left Kakarot’s form as his shoulders slumped. “Hey, Vegeta,” he replied, exhaustion aligned his voice.

Vegeta wasn’t sure what to say next, but he knew he needed to engage his friend in a conversation. “Is there a reason you’re moping over here,” he decided to be direct instead of using clearly crafted subtlety, “or did you do all of your conversing before I got here?”

The twenty-two-year-old chuckled weakly before he said, “Nothing. We just had an unwanted visitor last night. Our dad showed up out of nowhere.”

Vegeta’s eyes widened so slightly that one wouldn’t have been able to notice. His serious demeanor came out full force as he moved closer to Kakarot. He never heard either brother mention their father. For as long as he had known them, it had just been the two of them. Vegeta never asked them anything just as they never truly asked him about his parents. What they learned they heard from Rodney and occasionally heard stories of Vegeta’s father from Nappa. “Dare I ask what’s going on?” Vegeta asked quietly so that no one would hear.

Kakarot shook his head in frustration. “I just don’t understand,” he stated. “He showed up to demand that we return home with him after not speaking to us for three going on four years. He told us we were just acting rebellious and Raditz needed to fulfill our mother’s wishes of arranged marriage, but Raditz said our mother didn’t care about that before she died. Our father basically said he wants us in loveless marriages so that we won’t care if something happens to them. Who says stuff like that?”

Vegeta didn’t have that much information to go on seeing as he didn’t know their father, but he didn’t like the idea of arranged marriage at all. It was and old and outdated measure that was still practiced in other cultures, but it was definitely something that was no longer widely accepted or expected. There were some families who did give their children grief if they did not approve of their spouse. His parents’ marriage was a prime example of that. Thinking of his parents again made Vegeta realize he actually could give advice on this topic.

“Love is a risk worth taking,” Vegeta said forcefully. “Don’t worry about whatever this guy wants from you. You and Raditz are better off.”

Kakarot grinned slightly, though he still seemed a little down. “Yeah, I know,” Kakarot replied. “To be honest, leaving with Raditz was the best thing I ever did. I feel bad that Dad had problems getting over our mother’s death but taking it out on us was not the best way to deal.”

“Taking it out on anyone is never reasonable,” Vegeta agreed. “It’s not like you were responsible. No one is ever responsible for it.”

“Hey Vegeta,” Kakarot said questioning, “did…did you ever blame anyone?”

Vegeta never really thought of that before. When his parents died, there was no one to blame. Now, it would be possible to place blame on his mother’s parents, but even that didn’t seem right. “To be honest, no. Blaming someone wouldn’t change anything so it’s useless.”

Kakarot left out a small laugh. “I wish everyone had that attitude.” Vegeta could only nod in agreement.

* * *

“So your dad, huh?” Nappa said repeating what Raditz had told him. “You’ve never really mentioned him save one other time.”

“With good reason,” Raditz scoffed. “He’s been wanting me to marry some random girl for the longest time, since I was a teenager. I had hoped he would just leave us alone.”

Nappa sighed and shook his head. “How did Katie take it?” Raditz looked at the man in shock. “Come on, I knew you two had a date. I’ve heard her talking to some of the female volunteers. Does she know?”

The fact that Katie not only knew but had been willing to put up with his father amazed Raditz. Never had he subjected anyone to his father’s criticism, not since the first time he brought home a girlfriend. After that first girl had been belittled and insulted, Raditz couldn’t do it. It even stretched out to his friend making since Raditz seemed like a loner.

Katie refused to let him go home alone to deal with his father. She knew what the man would say and do. She never fought back nor had she taken offense to his father’s closed-mindedness. She had impressed the twenty-eight-year-old more than she knew.

“She didn’t let it bother her,” Raditz told the older man. “I tried to convince her to let me deal with it on my own, but she insisted that it wasn’t safe for me to drive.”

The elder firefighter frowned; he took a good look at Raditz and observed his tired form. “She was right, you know. You look like hell. Did you sleep at all?”

Raditz raised his travel mug for a silent ‘cheers’. “That’s what this is for. In hindsight, I think I started drinking coffee more after Mom died, and he just started acting like a crazy, controlling parent.”

“Crazy parents,” Nappa muttered. “Sounds like Vegeta’s mother’s, to be honest. They tried to control their daughter, but she wouldn’t have it. All things considered, she felt it was worth it to break away.”

“Oh, trust me, it’s worth it,” Raditz remarked. “I just wish I knew how he found us.”

Nappa stopped writing on the papers he was working on and stared at Raditz, confused. “You never told him where you lived, and he just showed up?” Raditz sighed and nodded in response.

Now Nappa knew something was up. Hearing that last statement made him wonder how this man could have found out where his sons lived. Also, why would he show up now? That part made less sense to Nappa. There were only a few things he could think of regarding the address, and one of them was a more than likely a possibility. “Excuse me.”

Raditz watched as Nappa stood up and walked away. He wondered what the man was thinking but decided not to worry about it. Instead, he wanted to go find Katie and apologize again for the previous night. He held hope that he wouldn’t have to deal with his father again anytime soon.

* * *

Rodney was in his office on the phone talking with someone who called in. “Yes, I have the address. Thank you for the call in. I’ll dispatch some guys to come check it out. Just stay away from the building until we know for sure.” Nappa entered the room when he got off the phone. “Ah, Nappa, can you take some guys to go check out a possible fire? We just got a call in.”

“Did you tell Bardock where to find them?” was all Nappa said which made the other man frown. When Rodney didn’t answer, Nappa knew. “I can’t believe you. When he called here three years ago you said it was against policy to tell him and now you take that back?”

“It’s been three years, Nappa,” Rodney stated, “and they’re adults. They should work things out like adults.”

Nappa glared hard at the man and said, “You do not get to play God with people’s lives. It wasn’t your place to tell him. Now you have two firefighters who are distracted and exhausted from not sleeping. Did you expect that? Probably not. Why don’t you ever think about your actions?”

“How dare you?” Rodney countered. “You talk about my actions but look at you. You let Vegeta move out on his own and kept him out of college. You—”

“That is different in so many ways,” Nappa argued. “That was what Vegeta wanted at the time. I wasn’t going to force him into college if he didn’t want to go.”

“A good parent should have—”

“I’m not his parent!” Nappa shouted. “Unlike you I never tried to force that on him. No one can replace his parents. I am his guardian. I’ve looked after him, even now. There was only so much I could convince him to do, and all he wanted was to be a firefighter like his father. He didn’t want school, or need school, for that.”

“We’ll have to discuss this later,” Rodney said to end the conversation. “And I do mean that we will discuss it. We’ve been dancing around this too long, and it’s time to finish this. Now go do your job.”

“Fine,” Nappa replied angrily. “Since it’s just an investigation, I’ll take Vegeta, Raditz, and Kakarot. No need to leave them here alone with you. You might try to interfere with them again.”

Rodney glowered at Nappa, but the other firefighter ignored him as he slammed the office door shut. The fire chief really believed he had been helping in a way, and he saw it as his job to look after the members of his precinct and help them get what they needed. In his mind, Nappa had no reason to be angry with him. He had only been trying to help mend broken bonds.

* * *

Later in the day, Vegeta returned to his apartment after work and found Bulma in the living room writing in a notepad. He was surprised that he found her in the same spot he left her in that morning, and he wondered if she had eaten anything while he was out. With a frown, he went to sit next to her and saw many words and figures on the notepad that made no sense to him. “What are you doing?” he asked warily.

Bulma jumped; she didn’t notice when Vegeta entered the apartment. She had been in the zone the entire morning and afternoon just working on blueprints for the last project she and her father had worked on together. Looking slightly embarrassed about being caught in her trance, she took ahold of her board and wrote something down, then handed it to Vegeta.

Vegeta read her answer, _“I’ve been working on these gravity room plans all day. I didn’t even know what time it was.”_

“Have you eaten anything today?” Vegeta sighed as he looked at her. Bulma answered with a shake of her head and then smiled shyly as if she had been caught doing something wrong. “Then let’s go somewhere. What are you in the mood for?”

Bulma thought about it for a second before her face lit up and she grabbed her board away from him again. _“There’s this little French place we can go. It was my mom’s favorite. I’ll pay.”_

Vegeta flashed her a heatless glare to which Bulma covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. _“I still never got to thank you for everything you’ve been doing for me.”_

He sighed and reluctantly nodded. “Fine. You win.”

Bulma was very pleased with herself at that point.

* * *

The place Bulma wanted to go wasn’t that far from his apartment. That actually surprised Vegeta since he knew the streets near his home very well, yet didn’t know about this place. Then it occurred to him that it might be a newer restaurant. It was small yet busy, quaint yet welcoming. The servers did their best to accommodate anyone, but their fake, French accents were what amused Vegeta the most.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you here,” a male waiter said as he came to the table. Vegeta knew instantly that he was talking to Bulma. “I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. How are you holding up?”

Vegeta noticed Bulma’s face light up in recognition and watched as she wrote her response on the board. _“It’s been hard, but I’m managing.”_

The man forced a comforting smile and nodded. “It’s going to be okay,” he tried to assure the girl. “I’m sure you’ve heard that a lot, but it’s true.”

 _“I know,”_ Bulma wrote before she motioned over to Vegeta. _“This is Vegeta, my boyfriend.”_

Vegeta remained calm, though inside he was completely stunned by the fact that Bulma referred to him as more than a friend, or that she gave the strange waiter his name. The girl wanted to keep everything quiet in regards to him, only because she didn’t want the press to accost him everywhere he went. Strangely enough, she trusted this guy and Vegeta was unsure as to why.

“Ah, so you’re the guy everyone’s been trying to find out about,” the waiter mused. “You better take care of my girl. I’m sure you know Bulma is a special. And you,” he said to Bulma, “I think your parents would have approved. After seeing that conference, I do already.”

The waiter left to fill their drink orders after Vegeta growled out what they wanted. He didn’t like the guy’s statement of him taking care of ‘his girl’. He didn’t even know who the guy was.

Bulma’s hand reached out for his and he looked over to her with a small frown. She already wrote something out for him to read. _“He’s a guy that used to work for us as a customer service representative. He was trying to put himself through cooking school and then this restaurant opened up and Dad got him a job here. He was our personal waiter every time we came. We were actually talking about coming the day after…”_

Vegeta could already gather what she meant and, instead of responding, he just took her hand in his and squeezed it in reassurance. Before Bulma could get lost in her thoughts, she smiled back at him and entwined their fingers. The two of them then stared at their entwined hands, both rubbed the other’s comfortingly with their thumbs. It was then that they were interrupted.

“Vegeta?” he heard both Raditz and Kakarot’s voice ask.

Bulma looked over when she heard her friend Chi-Chi say, “Bulma?”

The couple looked over and saw Vegeta’s two friends each with their dates. At that moment, the waiter returned and was confused by the gawking group and Vegeta’s hardened gaze staring back them while he still held on to Bulma’s hand. Bulma freed herself from Vegeta long enough for her to write. She smiled shyly as she lifted the board. _“I think we’re going to need a bigger table.”_


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.
> 
> As people who have read my works know, this chapter was published around the time I learned my estranged father was killed in a car accident. Although I hadn't lost a parent when I started writing this story, I eventually learned that the emotions in this piece were pretty spot on. The loss of a parent...I can't even describe it sometimes. After that, I took a break from this story, but when I returned, a lot of my stories focused on grief and loss. For those of you out there who grieve, you are not alone.
> 
> As it was in 2014, this chapter is dedicated to my father.

Nappa remained at the firehouse until the last of the day interns and volunteers left. The night shift was pretty much just getting in and not paying attention to anything going on around them; they talked and caught up on the day’s events of their peers. Nappa took the turnover as the opportunity to have it out with his boss.

He entered the office and was not surprised to see Rodney waiting in there for him. This was a long, overdue talk after all the jabs Rodney sent his way and Nappa would either retort or keep quiet. Nappa refused to be pulled down to Rodney’s level, but now things had gotten out of hand and the chief needed to stop interfering with everyone’s lives.

“You wanted to talk,” Nappa said curtly, “so talk.”

Rodney sighed and then took out a photo album Nappa had seen before. Vegeta’s wife put it together for them, an album of all of their fun events, picnics, and everything. Nappa remembered watching the woman work on it, even having little Vegeta help her with some of it. “You don’t know what you’re doing with the boy,” Rodney interrupted his happy thoughts with more garbage he usually spewed. “I would have known how to convince him against this work.”

“Why would you ever want to do that?” Nappa replied with genuine curiosity. “You know he’s the best guy we have. Isn’t that what you’d want as our boss?”

“I’m more than a boss to him, but you wouldn’t know that because Vegeta and I kept quiet. He wanted his work to speak for itself, and not let the idea of favoritism enter the precinct.”

Nappa was confused; his eyes told Rodney to start explaining. “It was around the time his parents died. You remember that time, I’m sure. I know full well what was going on with him. The drinking and everything. I was glad there was someone his age to help him through that.”

“Since when did you know about that?” Nappa snapped. “We didn’t work here in high school.”

Rodney chuckled. “Like I said, we kept quiet because he didn’t want it to seem like I was picking favorites. His father was a close friend of mine, a scientist who wanted his son to go into the field. They had many arguments about it before his parents passed away. I’m sure you heard of those fights.” Nappa nodded. “Well, one of those fights took place before the accident, and I know that’s why Vegeta took to drinking. He was angry with himself for how he handled that.

“I tried to convince him to consider college, but I knew the subject was a sore one for him since that had been the argument the last moment they were together. He told me what I had always known, that he wanted to be a firefighter. At the time, I was fine with it. I knew he could handle it, and I knew that he didn’t want to go to school because of his parents’ death. That is the only reason I didn’t press the issue. I regret it, though, because I look at his son and I see so much potential in him. He was creative as a boy, and he did enjoy science. I didn’t want him to be exactly like his father. He’s already walking on the same path.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Nappa remarked. “I’ve watched that boy grow up without his parents. Yes, it took me a little longer to realize the signs, but I did notice there was a problem. I’ve been dealing with it, and I don’t know if you know but he was very content these last few days. I don’t know what changed, if it was our talk or something else, but I’d rather see Vegeta happy than force him to do things he didn’t want to do.” Rodney opened his mouth, but Nappa quickly shut him up. “No, you got to talk, and now it’s my turn.

“I don’t care if you were Vegeta’s guardian. Actually, it makes a lot of sense and I understand why you try to discuss things with Vegeta. Here’s the thing, though. The situations are very different. Vegeta always wanted to be a firefighter like his father, and his father was always okay with that. Sure, Vegeta liked science, and maybe my friend thought he’d change his mind as he got older, but he didn’t. I know why there was never a fight about careers. Vegeta told me himself that he never wanted what he went through to ever happen between him and Little Vegeta. So, in that sense, you should just drop it. He wanted to be a firefighter and now he’s here and he’s great at it. We both have to accept that. I’m his guardian, not his parole officer.

“In addition to that, the drinking…he’s aware it’s a problem, but I don’t think it’s as out of hand as Vegeta’s was. It’s something occasional he’s done because he never had closure with their deaths. Now, I think we started on a path to it. I took him to see them and told him about their relationship, about his mother’s parents and even that his father had been where he was, and he responded well to that. If I had known that was what he needed before I would have done it, but every time I offered, he said he didn’t want to think about it. I let him have that because that was what he needed at the time. Now he needs reminders of who his parents were and what they wanted for him. They wanted him to be happy, do what he wanted, and love who he wanted. They didn’t want him dealing with _anyone_ trying to control his actions, including you and me. I will continue to watch him and be there for him and, if you want, I’ll talk to him about you because technically you did for his father what I’m doing for him. In a weird way, we’re all family.

“Aside from all of this, what you did with Kakarot’s and Raditz’s father was not okay. He too has tried to control them, and they wanted to be away from him. I don’t know why he wanted to see them now, but his desires for the boys have not changed and now they have to deal with that. You should have stuck with protocol on that and not given him their address. Still, I’ll overlook it _if_ you can give me a legitimate reason on why you did what you did.”

Rodney was a little beside himself from Nappa tangent, but he did realize the other man was right and then frowned in embarrassment. “I only hoped that they could work things out. The boys already lost one parent, and I didn’t want them to lose the other. He wanted to find them, but I didn’t know that he hadn’t tried to contact them. He told me he had, but he could never get an answer from them. The truth is I don’t know when that was. I was just hoping the three of them could work it out, because if something ever happened to their father and they were fighting with him, just like that night with Vegeta, it would have destroyed them.”

Nappa nodded in understanding, finally getting what Rodney had been trying to do. “I get it, Rod,” he said. “I really do, but that wasn’t your place, and as you can see that guy lied to you. Raditz and Kakarot needed to stay away from him for all of these years because of private family business we can only guess at or piece together from what they tell us. I meant what I said; you can’t play God with everyone’s lives. I know you had the best of intentions, but you…me…we can’t fix everything. We just have to be there in case it all falls apart. You were there for Vegeta; I’m there for his son. You knew what my friend needed; and I know what his boy needs. You just have to accept that. We were both prepared for different circumstances. You can still be there for Vegeta, by accepting his choices and accepting him.”

Rodney knew Nappa was right. He was glad he decided that the two of them should discuss what they both felt and why Rodney cared so much about everything Vegeta did. It made sense to Nappa now that his boss tried to force some type of familial bond between him and Vegeta. He didn’t understand why his friend hadn’t told them that their boss was his guardian, but it was for the best anyway because back then, a lot of the members had been jealous of Vegeta’s skill, and favoritism would have definitely been the term they applied.

“So…” Rodney said awkwardly, “what is the real story between Vegeta and this girl?”

Nappa smiled slightly and decided to indulge him. “I don’t really know for sure,” he said, “but I know he felt responsible for not being able to get them all out. Now, though, I think she’s the best thing that ever happened to him.”

Rodney smiled as he listened to Nappa as he told of the few times he met Bulma and saw the two of them interact with each other. They talked about the press conference where Vegeta defended Bulma in hopes of shutting up the idiotic press and businessmen that thought she couldn’t handle the responsibility. They even talked about his change in mood from the day Nappa took him to the cemetery and what may have caused his change. For now, they could only speculate on what was going on.

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Kakarot asked after they were all moved to a larger table.

“Eating,” Vegeta replied gruffly, “or would have been if we weren’t playing musical chairs.”

Bulma once again had to cover her mouth. Sometimes Vegeta’s dry humor got to her, mostly because she knew he had really wanted _her_ to eat something since she hadn’t all day. _“I suggested this place,”_ Bulma wrote. _“I thought it would be good to bring him to our families’ favorite place.”_

“Yeah, I was the one who suggested it to Kakarot,” Chi-Chi admitted. “Our date kind of got cancelled last night, and Raditz’s was kind of cut short, so we decided to double.”

Kakarot grinned and said, “Well, now it’s tripled. Three times the fun.”

Vegeta blushed slightly but simply elbowed Kakarot in the ribs. “Shut up,” was all he said, neither accepting the idea of triple dating or rejecting the fact that he was on a somewhat date with Bulma.

 _“Why were the dates cancelled or cut short?”_ Bulma asked causing a slight mood shift.

Raditz sighed, but Katie, who sat across from him, stood and placed her hand on his shoulder. He decided to enlighten the girl to his family drama. “Our father showed up after almost four years and demanded we come home so that he could set us up with random girls to marry that we didn’t know or love. He didn’t want us to be attached to whomever we were with.”

Bulma frowned and looked quite irritated. She rushed to scribble something on the board. _“I hate people like that. My dad’s parents were the same, but he married my mom anyways. Marriage should always be about love, not money, background, or anything else.”_

“I concur,” Vegeta said. He lifted his glass of water dramatically. He decided that now was as good a time as any to open up. “I recently found out some stuff about my parents and theirs. My mother’s were against her marrying a firefighter and interfered with their marriage more than once. It doesn’t matter, though. At least my parents were happy.”

“Yeah,” Kakarot said with a smile. “But that’s the weird thing. Our dad was happy too. Raditz and I talked more about this. Even though their marriage was arranged, they fell in love with each other, and our dad was always happy, but then Mom died, and it wrecked him. We get he doesn’t want us to feel the same way, but we’d rather love who we’re with than avoid the chances of even feeling that happiness.”

“Life’s too short,” Chi-Chi interjected. “Maybe, you guys should say that to your dad. I mean, does he really want to lose you?”

Raditz scoffed, then laughed bitterly. “Who knows? Maybe he does. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with it later.”

The waiter came back in that moment and saw the sullen expressions on everyone’s face. “Well, this is certainly a different group than what came in,” he tried to joke. “What happened?”

_“You know, discussing life…”_

“Ah,” the waiter replied. “Always the mood killer. In that case, what I can do is offer you guys a nice bottle of wine on the house. I’ll bring six glasses.”

Both Raditz and Bulma, alerted, looked over to Vegeta who closed his eyes as he internally debated on whether to accept the offer. Part of him wanted it, but that was it. He just wanted it; he didn’t need it. He opened his eyes and grabbed the waiter’s arm before he left the table. “Five glasses will be fine. I’m good with water.” The waiter accepted this and took his leave.

Raditz let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding and then tried to start up another topic of conversation, a more light-hearted one regarding a carnival that would be coming to the area that summer, a few months away. Bulma gave Vegeta one of the brightest smiles he had ever remembered seeing, and he returned her smile. Neither of them tried to jump into the conversation, and the remaining three at the table, though engaged in the new topic, all wondered what just happened, though Kakarot had some idea. Something major just occurred over the group, and only some of the members were privy to what it meant.

* * *

Later, Bulma and Vegeta returned home, dropped off by Chi-Chi and Kakarot while Raditz and Katie decided to spend the night at her place. They all said and waved their goodbyes before Vegeta and Bulma got into the apartment.

Bulma grabbed Vegeta’s arm as he started to head to his room. He heard her struggle to write on the board using one arm and hand and turned to hold her board for her. She smiled appreciatively at him and wrote down what she had wanted to say to him. _“I was really impressed with you tonight,”_ she praised. _“I know that must have been hard for you to do.”_

Vegeta never realized how much Bulma noticed about his actions. The only moment he recalled her seeing his habit was the night after she mentioned his parents and saw the basket of cans for recycling. He knew Bulma was smart and could put two and two together and, seeing how he became aware of the problem, it wasn’t surprising that she figured it out as well.

“It wasn’t that hard,” he told her. “I didn’t need it. I haven’t ‘needed’ it for a while now.”

Bulma’s expression became pensive for the moment as she erased what she wrote with her hand and scribbled more on the board. _“That’s good to hear, but what changed between then and now?”_

Vegeta smirked slightly, took the board and pen away from her, and placed the objects on the small table next to them. She looked at him questioningly as he took her in his arms. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of you,” he whispered making her jump slightly. “I haven’t needed it because I have you. I don’t know what it is about you, but whatever it is makes me feel…happy.”

There were so many things Bulma wanted to say in that moment but couldn’t. She was so happy that she had her appointment the following week to see how much progress she had made. She wanted to convey to him that she felt the same with him. She would have fallen apart many times over if Vegeta hadn’t been in her life. She would have never been able to take on the press, deal with the service, or even manage the company to her fullest capacities if she didn’t have him to lean on.

Moving her hands up his chest to his hold his face, Bulma pressed her lips against his for a soft kiss, but Vegeta took her by surprise as he deepened it and pulled her closer to him. He broke the kiss, then pressed his lips to her forehead. “The guys were right,” he mumbled against her head. “You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

Bulma wrapped her arms around his shoulders and entwined her fingers in his hair; she comfortingly scratched his scalp causing him to release a contented sigh.

 _Me too,_ Bulma though hoping that Vegeta could at least sense she felt the same way. When he kissed her again right then, Bulma believed that maybe he did hear her even though things like that were impossible.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said quietly, his voice heavy yet relaxed. Bulma nodded.

The two of them somehow managing to get to his room without letting go of each other. Vegeta felt so relaxed as the two of them slipped into his bed and held each other. He knew that the two of them were still not in the best place, yet this simple gesture of lying with her and sleeping in the same bed as her evoked so much passion inside of him. He didn’t want to let her go; he didn’t think he’d ever be able to. At least right now he didn’t need to worry about such pointless thoughts. For now, he could just surrender to happiness, the happiness that that night all of his friends and even Bulma’s friend had wanted. Maybe his years of avoiding feeling anything had been pointless as well.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

It was another day for Vegeta except for the fact that he was accompanying Bulma to the hospital for a checkup. Today, the doctor was planning to give them more of a timeline based on if a scan showed that Bulma was healing properly. If she was, then most likely she’d finally be able to talk sooner rather than later.

Vegeta sensed Bulma’s nervous energy that morning and could understand why she was unsettled. Bulma had been amazing at forcing herself not to utter a sound for the last couple of months. He himself didn’t know if he could even stay that quiet, and he was usually the one that never spoke or at least not often. Vegeta too was looking forward to hearing good news. He felt Bulma needed this, and he wanted to see her happy.

“Well, the scans look good,” the doctor told them. “So all I can say is keep doing what you’re doing and in about three more weeks, you’ll be fine to talk. A lot of the damage has healed up nicely, so it’s clear you’ve been staying honest. Most patients with damaged vocal cords start talking much sooner out of frustration and prolong their recovery.”

Bulma nodded in understanding as the doctor left, and when he did leave, she let out a quiet sigh and then smiled weaky at Vegeta. He knew that she had wanted to be told she could talk today, but at least the doctor gave her a timeline. It was only a little bit longer, and then Bulma could talk freely, and Vegeta was actually looking forward to that moment. With how often she texted with her friend, he knew that Bulma had a lot to say. He wanted to listen, to communicate with her with more than just silence, but he too could wait.

“Soon, Bulma,” he assured her. “Soon this whole thing will be over and it will be nothing but a memory.”

Bulma nodded in agreement and held out her hand for him to take. The two of them left the room together so that Bulma could check out. Afterwards, Vegeta got a call from Rodney surprisingly telling him he didn’t need to come in that day since one of the other newly hired firefighters asked to switch days off for the week. Vegeta didn’t mind it as much seeing as that meant he could spend the day with Bulma. He hadn’t even given it a second thought when he accepted Rodney’s offer.

* * *

Nappa was talking with Raditz and Kakarot and was happy when they mentioned Vegeta was getting out more. The week before when they went on their ‘triple date’, as Kakarot called it, Vegeta had been embarrassed. The thought made Nappa chuckle. At least he knew where part of Vegeta’s change in attitude had come from. Either way, Nappa was relieved, especially when Raditz took him aside and told him that Vegeta turned down a drink. Who said it was impossible for someone to change overnight?

A couple days later, Vegeta brought Bulma over to Nappa’s place for dinner. It had been a pretty peaceful night, just the three of them spending time together and watching television. The fact that Vegeta tried to get out of the house more, interacted more with him and his friends, turned down alcohol…Nappa had never been happier that he dragged Vegeta out of his apartment that day.

“So anyway, today was supposed to be the day of Bulma’s appointment,” Raditz reported. “I’m kind of glad the new guy came in today. At least Vegeta can focus on her.”

“We should call him when we get off,” Kakarot suggested. “Maybe we can all go out again. Nappa, you should come too.”

Nappa chuckled and shook his head. “And be a seventh wheel on a ‘triple date’?” he joked. “Nah, it’s okay, kid. Thanks for the invite, though. Maybe some other time.”

“It doesn’t have to be a date,” Raditz remarked. “It can just be a bunch of us chilling out. It is Friday, after all. I say we _all_ go out tonight.”

“Fine, fine,” Nappa surrendered. “If we do that, though, I say we invite Rodney.”

He almost burst out laughing when he saw the looks on Raditz’s and Kakarot’s faces. “Are you crazy?” Raditz asked. “Vegeta can’t stand him.”

That wasn’t true, at least not anymore. Nappa spoke with Vegeta when they were in his kitchen getting dinner ready. He told the youth about his talk with Rodney, and Vegeta was completely shocked. He did recall many times where Rodney came around the house trying to get to know him. Vegeta never minded as a boy, only once Rodney thought he could replace his father and tried to parent him. Now, he realized that that wasn’t the case at all. Vegeta still hadn’t spoken to Rodney, but his attitude towards him had shifted slightly. He didn’t hate their boss anymore, but he still didn’t know how he felt about that bit of new information.

“I don’t think he’d mind,” Nappa remarked. At their questioning gazes, he said, “It’s a long story, guys.”

Just as they ended that conversation, about to start making plans for the night, the emergency sirens went off and the three of them sprang into action. Nappa went to Rodney to ask what was going on, and Rodney explained the 911 call they received and gave him the address. After that, the trucks sped off, quickly heading to stop the fire.

It was like a sense of déjà vu, though Nappa was unsure as to why. The fire was pretty bad, but there were still many access points and the fire seemed to only affect one side of the house. Even though it wasn’t as bad as some they had seen before, this hadn’t been the kind of fire they wanted to train their new guy on, but he was there with Raditz and Kakarot trying to train him while making sure everyone was safe. Unfortunately, not everyone was out of the house.

Nappa heard the cry of a little girl from the upstairs room and just acted. He entered the house and was relieved to see that the fire hadn’t spread toward the room. Quickly, he ran up the stairs careful of the weakened spots.

He found the little girl crying in the corner of her room and went to pick her up. She screamed harder, not knowing what was happening. “Hey, kid, it’s all right,” he said softly. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

She looked up at him as she sniffled. “Y-you are?”

“Yeah,” he told her. “Now let’s go. Your parents are waiting for us.”

The little girl calmed down, and Nappa made his way down the stairs. The structure of the house was starting to crumble, but Nappa knew exactly where to move thanks to his years of training. He was almost out of the home when the little girl cried, “Wait! Was Lacy out there?”

“Lacy?” Nappa asked.

“My kitty,” she said, “I don’t want to leave without my kitty.”

Nappa looked around and determined that he had a little more time. He set the girl in front of the door. “Okay, you go outside, and I’ll go get Lacy, okay?”

The little girl looked hesitant, but she nodded, and he set her down. She quickly ran out of the house to her parents.

“Oh, Dianna,” her mother sighed out relieved as she hugged her tightly.

“Where’s Nappa?” Raditz asked out loud, then looked back at the house. They got the fire under control for the most part, but the house was still unsafe.

“Oh, the nice man went to go look for Lacy, my kitty,” the little girl told him, smiling slightly. “I didn’t want to leave without her.” She didn’t notice the look of horror on her parents' faces. They looked over to Raditz apologetically, but he just waved them off.

“Don’t worry,” he assured them. “He wouldn’t have stayed in if there wasn’t time to get her.”

But as soon as he said that half of the house caved in, the sound of windows blowing out accompanied the crumbling walls. At that point, Raditz became worried and rushed off into the house to find Nappa. He hoped that he hadn’t been on that side of the house.

“Nappa!” he called out when he entered. “Where are you?” He didn’t hear a reply, but he did hear a moan nearby. He looked over to where a support pillar had fallen and saw Nappa lying on the ground underneath it with a cat meowing at him.

Raditz didn’t even give himself the opportunity to panic. He acted quickly to get the wooden mast off of his fellow firefighter and propped him on his shoulders, then picked up the cat and made his way to the door. He struggled a little trying to drag Nappa while holding the girl’s cat, but he managed to get outside and was thankful that Kakarot was about to come in and was right at the door.

The cat jumped out of Raditz’s arms and ran over to its owners, which made it easier for Raditz and Kakarot to move Nappa. “We need to get him to the med team,” Raditz stated, trying to stay calm even though he knew that this was serious. He couldn’t afford to lose it right now.

“Is he going to be okay?” Kakarot asked worriedly.

“Not now, Kakarot,” Raditz countered. “We can’t think right now. Let’s just get him over to the ambulance. We can go to the hospital after that blasted fire is out.”

“Right,” Kakarot replied as they worked together to carry him over to the ambulance and the medical team took him away. They returned to what they were doing before Nappa’s heroics and forced themselves to focus on the job. Once the fire was out, they knew that all hell was going to break loose. Neither of them wanted to say it, but one of them would have to contact Vegeta, and Vegeta was not going to take it well.

* * *

From the minute he woke up from his short nap, Vegeta knew something was wrong. He didn’t know why he felt that way, especially when Bulma was lying down with her head on his stomach, her soft snores that normally calmed him did nothing. Something happened. The dread he felt seemed very familiar to him, though he couldn’t place a finger on it. He wondered if this was just some random anxiety that rose inside of him. When his phone rang, though, he got his answer.

“Hello,” he answered calmly forcing himself not to sound hesitant. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, but his mouth still felt dry. _Why am I so damn apprehensive?_ he shouted internally. The person on the other end seemed to be taking forever to answer, too.

 _“Hey, Vegeta,”_ Raditz breathed out. He decided to be the one to call Vegeta. Kakarot wouldn’t have been able to stay calm when telling their friend what had happened. _“What are you doing?”_

Vegeta rolled his eyes and relaxed slightly. “Well, I _was_ making lunch before you called. Why?”

_“You might want to sit down.”_

Instantly, the horrible feeling in Vegeta’s gut returned. He knew those six words meant nothing but bad news. Those who used them usually thought they were cushioning a blow, but they never did. Sitting, standing…it made no difference how one would take the news. Instead of following Raditz’s suggestion, he simply steadied himself, leaned against the counter, and used his free hand to hold himself up.

“What?” he growled through gritted teeth. When Raditz didn’t answer right away, Vegeta started to get louder accidentally which alerted Bulma. “Damn it, Raditz. What the hell is going on?”

 _“Nappa is in the hospital,”_ Raditz finally told him. _“He’s in critical condition right now, but the doctors are optimistic.”_

Vegeta’s mind switched over to autopilot the second Raditz said Nappa was in the hospital. Questions swirled in his mind, muted the rest of Raditz’s words. What happened? What caused this? Did it have anything to do with the job? Had there been a fire that day, _a day where he was scheduled to go in?_

Once that thought entered Vegeta’s head, there was no going back. He should have been there, but he had agreed to switch days with someone with little experience. Maybe, if he had been there, he could have prevented whatever happened to Nappa, provided it was something that happened on the job.

He needed to see him. There was information he needed to get that Raditz wouldn’t be able to answer. “I’m on my way,” Vegeta said as he hung up the phone without giving his older friend time to respond.

Gracelessly, he shoved his phone into his pocket before he turned to leave the kitchen. He paused briefly when he saw Bulma standing behind him. Concern flickered in her eyes, her posture gave away her worried demeanor. “I will be back,” he told her, not quelling her anxiety. He couldn’t worry about that in that moment. He had somewhere he needed to be.

* * *

At the hospital, Raditz and Kakarot waited knowing that Vegeta was coming. The man in question arrived a lot sooner than they would have expected with him living on the other side of the city. It looked like he ran the entire way to the hospital. “Hey, Vege—” Kakarot started to say before Vegeta raced passed them and entered Nappa’s room. That was the moment he learned something truly horrific.

Mental preparation made everything worse.

It was one thing to not expect something bad to happen. Yes, Vegeta had been devastated when Nappa told him about his parents’ flight, but this was something completely different. He hadn’t known what happened, and Raditz said the doctors were optimistic, so, in his mind, he had naively prepared for a best-case scenario. He didn’t prepare himself to see his guardian unconscious hooked up to monitors and a breathing tube. He had to have just come out of surgery. Why did he need surgery in the first place? Raditz only called about fifteen minutes before he got there. His friend should have alerted him right away, but for some reason did not.

“How long ago did this happen?” Vegeta asked menacingly.

Both of the brothers flinched when they heard Vegeta’s tone. They had never heard their friend so angry in the time they had known him.

“A couple of hours ago,” Raditz answered hesitantly. “They took him into emergency surgery right away. We wanted to wait until we saw him before dragging you here.”

In one swift moment, Raditz felt his head slam against the hallway wall, Vegeta’s arm pressed against his chest. The hardened glare on his friend’s face told Raditz something he had already suspected before he made his decision. He made the wrong call in not telling Vegeta, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

“How dare you think you could get away with not calling me here?” Vegeta snarled. “You should have called me the second something happened, if not then then the second he was admitted! Did you assume that I wouldn’t want to be here? That I was too much of a coward to show up?”

Raditz grimaced when Vegeta pressed harder against his chest but tried to reason with his angry friend. “That’s not it, Vegeta,” he assured him. “You been going through so much lately, and I didn’t want to upset you. I wanted to make sure Nappa was fine and get information to give you so you didn’t have to deal with the anxiety of waiting for him to get out of surgery.”

“I am not a child!” Vegeta shouted in Raditz’s face, ignoring Kakarot, who was trying to pull him off his brother, as well as the stares from other people in the hospital. “I do not need to be coddled, Raditz, especially not by you.”

Vegeta finally released Raditz by the time the doctor showed up. He was still holding Raditz in place with his bitter glare. He was livid that his friend would try to hide this from him in an act to protect him. It was no one’s job to protect him, save maybe Nappa. It was foolish to try to keep him away.

“You must be Vegeta,” the doctor spoke. “I’m sorry we didn’t contact you about the surgery, but we needed to stop the internal bleeding.”

“Internal bleeding?” Vegeta asked keeping all emotion from his voice.

The doctor nodded. “Yes, he was hit by something, a wooden pillar, and it nearly crushed him, but that only caused minor bone damage. That wasn’t bad. It still caused some internal issues which we corrected with surgery.”

“Why is he still unconscious and connected to the ventilator?” Vegeta continued to question.

“Well, it’s just a precaution. We gave him something to keep him asleep for the night and we’re keeping him on oxygen to make sure he gets enough after being in a burning building. He should be fine within a day or two. He’s very lucky.”

Vegeta didn’t respond at first, but then he asked, “Why did you apologize for not contacting me? Why would you have even thought to?”

The doctor looked very perplexed but then took out the file he was holding. He took out a piece of paper and then handed it to Vegeta. “You’re his healthcare proxy, so normally we would have run the idea of surgery by you first. There was no time to wait, though.”

Nappa never told Vegeta about this, so Vegeta was stunned when he saw the document giving him full control over Nappa’s future medical decisions. Looking over the document closely, Vegeta saw what Nappa had written down. _“Name: Vegeta Kurobushi, Relationship: son.”_

And just like that, Vegeta’s stoicism vanished as he dropped the paper and started to leave the scene. He paused in his stride only to say, “You better call me the second he wakes up,” and then went to leave the hospital. He was shocked, touched, hurt, guilty…he didn’t know what he was anymore. Nappa had been like a father to him all these years, and he repaid him by leaving him alone and going out on his own, barely spent time with him over the last few years. His attempts to get over his desire for solitude now couldn’t make up for all the pain he must have caused his guardian, who saw him as his own son. The overwhelming feeling of guilt and should-have-beens only served to make Vegeta feel worse. For the first time in a short while, he felt the need to numb the pain, and he knew of just one way to do it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Bulma was very confused by Vegeta’s actions after the phone call he received from Raditz. It didn’t take a genius to know that whatever was said wasn’t good, but Vegeta rushed out of the apartment so fast that she couldn’t even attempt to ask him. His actions concerned her. Ever since the day he disappeared for the afternoon and returned with Nappa, he acted differently with her. He would talk a little more, go out more, show more affection, and he even avoided having a casual drink and then said she was the best thing that ever happened to him. She couldn’t help but feel like his current actions were signifying a setback.

When Vegeta returned to the apartment, he slammed the door shut and stormed into the kitchen where she was standing. He could see her concern, but right now he didn’t want anything but the thing she was standing in front of. Bulma stood in front of the refrigerator, his ticket to escape the immense guilt hid inside.

“Move,” he ordered, his voice sounded both commanding and sad.

Bulma was shocked to hear such an order along with his defeated expression. It reminded her of the night she first asked him about his parents. That night he drank himself to sleep and was out of it the next day. She wondered what happened to make him feel this way, but then she realized he ordered her to move away from the fridge. Yes, he was planning to drink again, and Bulma still didn’t know why.

She wasn’t about to let that happen, not when he had been doing so well.

Vegeta’s eyes widened as she spread out her arms and blocked his access to what he desired. She was determined not to let him through, her eyes filled with her reluctance to let him pass; he narrowed his as he was not in the mood to humor her. “I said ‘move’,” he repeated, his voice slightly intimidating, but Bulma shook her head slowly. She had no intention of letting him get past her.

Once again, Vegeta’s anger returned. He hadn’t expected to feel it towards Bulma, but now she was the one denying him something he felt he needed. Forcibly he shoved her, as gently as he could, but with enough force to move her, and then opened the door to grab one of the beers that he had remaining.

After he opened the can, it was yanked from his hand before he could take a sip. His expression dumbfounded, he looked over to Bulma who managed to hold his gaze with her resolve. She poured the can down the sink. Confusion and rage were all Vegeta felt when he saw the soothing liquid flow down the drain. One to fight back, Vegeta went back to the fridge to grab another, but Bulma rushed back and prevented him from doing so.

“I don’t need this right now,” Vegeta snapped at her. “If you won’t let me drink here, then I’m going out.”

As Vegeta started to leave the kitchen, Bulma audibly gasped and attempted to hold him back. Vegeta looked down to her. He looked angry, but she saw hurt flash in his eyes. All she wanted to do was tell him to talk to her, to be able to converse with him and whisper comforting words to quell whatever was causing him pain.

But for another three weeks, she couldn’t do anything, so she reluctantly let go and let Vegeta storm off into the night.

* * *

“I’m surprised he didn’t do more than what he did,” Katie stated as she put a salve on Raditz’s bruised chest.

Raditz nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s sensitive, so either way either me or Kakarot would have been the punching bag. I don’t mind it so much. He’s been through a lot.”

Katie frowned before she closed the salve container. “Yeah, I gathered that. You can put your shirt back on now.”

A chuckle was Raditz’s response as he pulled his shirt back over his head. His seriousness returned and he lied down on the bed. “I know it was stupid, but he would have been worse had he been there from the beginning. The stress would have gotten to him.”

“Well,” Katie sighed, “the good news is Nappa will be okay. Vegeta has to be happy about that.”

Raditz looked away from her, and his expression grew more concerned. “You would think…”

* * *

Bulma left the apartment shortly after Vegeta did, thinking she could find him and stop him. She went to the bar they went to for dinner that one time and searched everywhere for him. He wasn’t there. She decided to go further out to the pier, knowing that was one of the other places he might go. He wasn’t there either.

Sitting on the bench outside the restaurant, Bulma buried her face in her hands. She was so frustrated at the fact that she couldn’t ask Vegeta more about himself so that she would have more of an idea as to where he would go. Her choices were so limited; she didn’t know what to do, so she went to the only place she thought she would be able to think.

She decided to go to the church.

Still opened for the public to enter, Bulma went inside and sat down. She looked to the altar and frowned. Her parents used to always suggest she go to mass with them, but the first time she set foot in a church since she was a little girl was for the memorial service. She wondered if she should even be there.

 _I know that I stayed away for the longest time,_ Bulma recounted mentally, _but if there was ever a day I needed guidance, today would be it. Please, let Vegeta be all right. Please let him come home safe and give me the strength to comfort him. Oh, I wish I could speak to him._

There was nothing else she could do but hope and pray Vegeta would come back to her safely. If he was drinking, which she knew he was, she wouldn’t care just as long as he was okay. They would deal with it together like they had been doing with everything else. She just needed to keep it together until he came home. Any worse case scenarios that ran through her head, she shook them off.

* * *

Vegeta didn’t gone to the bar he normally frequented. Too many people in his life knew he would go there, Bulma, for one, and even Yamcha. If word got out to that guy, Vegeta knew he’d show up, and he was not willing to have some existential conversation with the mood he was in. Worse, he made it clear to Bulma that he planned to drink. He brought her to the sports bar before, so he knew she would try to find him there and most likely try to stop him. He didn’t want her to see him that way.

So then, why was he drinking? Vegeta scoffed at his own thinking, then chugged down the drink in his glass of a dark and shady bar—a random bar he came across while stewing in his own anger and guilt. At least three different women tried to pick him up, but he wasn’t interested in them. It wasn’t what he went there for, so he ignored them which irritated each and every woman.

He had more than a few drinks, was starting to feel hazy and numb. Over time, he lost his alertness. Another woman with blue hair, darker than Bulma’s, sat beside him and flirted with him. Vegeta didn’t respond to her, only tasted something bitter on his tongue, but since it was numbed with alcohol, it was just a psychological thought. He took another large sip of his drink and slammed the empty glass on the table.

“Another,” he demanded from the bartender, but the man simply shook his head.

“Buddy, I don’t even know how much you’ve had,” the guy remarked. “You’re done for the night. Give me your keys.”

Vegeta glared at the guy who had the audacity to tell him he was done. He wasn’t done until he said he was, until the pain and guilt were gone. “I didn’t drive,” Vegeta growled. “You are not my mother. I said, ‘another’.”

“Oo,” the girl beside him said with a small laugh, “a man with an attitude. I like that. This drink is on me.”

The bartender sighed, but relented, and placed another glass in front of Vegeta. Vegeta only stared at the glass, but did not move to grab it. If he had covered his own drink, he wouldn’t have cared, but now some strange woman was buying him a drink. That never happened before, especially not at the sports bar. Vegeta never expected it to happen, nor did he want it to happen. He couldn’t drink it. If he did, in a way, it would mean betraying Bulma.

 _But haven’t I already?_ he managed to determine in his drunken state which made the guilt return full force.

He betrayed Nappa, too. His guardian warned him about his drinking habits. They were never out of control like this. Vegeta was aware it was becoming a problem, but this…no, this was worse than a problem. Nappa wouldn’t want this, and Vegeta was sure that when the man woke up he would be in for the scolding of his life…and probably be dragged to rehab by all of his friends.

Nappa…he helped his father through this, through the pit of despair which threatened to consume him. The man loved his father like a brother, loved him like a son. No, this wasn’t what he wanted.

 _No, no, no…why was I so stupid?_ Vegeta screamed so loud in his head that it began to pound, or maybe it was the liquor. Either way, he wanted to go home. He wanted to feel, just not guilt, anger, or sadness as he was accustomed. He wanted forgiveness if his friends could forgive him for going back on his mental promise. He wanted Bulma.

Without a word, glance, or even a ‘thank you’ to the girl, Vegeta stood up and began to reach the door. He heard the girl protest, and the worried shout of the bartender, which caused him to pause at the door. “It appears I am ‘done’ after all.” He then left the bar; the jingling of a bell sounded off as the door slammed shut.

* * *

Bulma was gently rocking, curled up on the couch, still silently praying that Vegeta was safe. She always remembered her mother telling her that God would hear her no matter where she was, no matter what she was doing, so that at least helped her calm herself. She just wanted Vegeta home safe so she could tell him she loved him, so she could tell him he didn’t need to fight this alone. She wanted to tell him everything, how much he meant to her, how grateful she was that he saved her and cared for her, put himself out just to help the girl who was a stranger, but most of all how much his presence in her life mattered to her. Without him, she would have never been able to handle her parents’ death, nor would she have been able to take over at the company right away. He helped her with everything, and yet she couldn’t help him with anything.

In all honesty, Bulma didn’t care what it was going to do to her voice. She had been patient enough, too patient, which was a virtue she never truly possessed. On top of that, she was always the chatty one in her small circle of friends and even with her colleagues. This whole mess was more than frustrating and devastating for her, but now that the devastation had been dealt, she was now more frustrated with the healing process than ever. Honestly, it didn’t matter. If Vegeta walked through that door, she would tell him how she felt and deal with the fallout later. He was much too important to her.

When she heard the sound of the front door open, Bulma felt her whole body freeze. Had Vegeta really just come home? Tears prickled at her eyes, and Bulma jumped up from the couch and went to see him. He stumbled in, dropped his keys on the ground as he awkwardly closed the door. He didn’t even seemed to notice her standing in front of him with tears flowing down her pale cheeks.

Eventually he looked up and saw her, and he knew he was completely caught, but wasn’t that the point? Didn’t he come home for her to do what the alcohol apparently couldn’t do anymore? Hadn’t he been praying to receive her acceptance and forgiveness for his betrayal? He told her that he no longer needed alcohol, because he had her, but he yelled at her, acted threatening towards her, and left her to turn to alcohol. He thought it would work, that numbing everything he felt would work, but the alcohol hadn’t numbed, only diminished; he hadn’t forgotten, only felt the emotions instead of focusing on the causes.

Bulma attempted to speak, but her sobs stopped her. She was so relieved. She didn’t care that he was drunk, just that he came to her alive. Losing another person she loved was not an option for her, not when they never had the chance to fully be to each other what they needed to be.

The guilt returned in Vegeta’s mind as her body wracked with sobs. He did that to her, made her fear for his life. When he left, he wasn’t thinking about the consequences, but now he was seeing them. She was supposed to stay quiet, but she couldn’t contain herself anymore.

He quickly moved to hold her, stumbled in the process, but when he reached her he hugged her so tightly as if he was never going to let go. “I’m sorry,” he whispered sounding so unlike himself. “I’m deeply and truly sorry.”

Bulma continued to cry, but not because she was mad at him. She couldn’t be mad at him for anything. Here he was blaming himself when all she wanted to say was that he didn’t need to be sorry.

“I let you down,” he whispered sadly. _No!_ she screamed in her head, but still no words would come out. “I should have stayed. I need you…I’m sorry I didn’t see that sooner.” _No!_ “I…I’m not myself, right now, and I shouldn’t have t-taken it out on you. Bulma…I’m—”

“NO!” she shouted on top of her lungs. Vegeta just held her back from him, blinked at her in surprise. She too looked shocked at her outburst, but more with how she felt. It didn’t hurt to talk…it felt wonderful actually. Hesitantly, she tried to speak once more. “V-Vegeta, I—” But she didn’t need to say anything more. Vegeta kissed her, interrupting her train of thought.

The kiss was slightly aggressive but full of need and desire. Vegeta had no idea what brought this on in his drunken state, but he assumed it had something to do with the fact that she talked to him. Her voice was full of comfort and warmth, not judgment or blame like he expected. She sounded so much like an angel, but then Vegeta mentally scoffed at how silly that was and told himself he would forget that thought by morning.

Bulma kissed back timidly at first, but then with equal force as he started to slowly migrate them to his bedroom. She knew where this was going, and it didn’t bother her. She knew he was drunk and he normally wouldn’t be this forward, but she accepted that…she accepted him.

Vegeta broke the kiss and stopped them outside of his door, working to regain his breath. He wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore, but he knew if he didn’t stop soon he would do something that they would both regret if she wasn’t ready. He was surprised he could even think somewhat coherently after having as much as he did at the bar.

“It’s okay, Vegeta,” Bulma whispered as she glossed her lips over his. “I love you.”

And that was all it took to weaken Vegeta’s resolve. He guided her into his bedroom, though she was mostly doing the guiding. She held him so he wouldn’t fall, sat them both down on his bed, and he tilted his head to kiss her hungrily. Butterflies fluttered inside of Bulma as he changed his pace. Something with the way he kissed her told her exactly how he felt, and it made her feel loved.

At some point they lost their clothes, covered together by the sheets on his bed. Everything happened so quickly for both of them before they found themselves contentedly lying in each other’s arms. Tears fell from Bulma’s eyes as she smiled at her lover’s sleeping form. His head rested against her shoulder, his hold tight around her as if he were afraid she would disappear. Maybe he thought it had all been a dream and that was why he refused to let go.

She wouldn’t put that past him, especially since he was so drunk. How much did he have? As she thought about it, she realized it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he came home and was there with her. After all that must have happened to him that day, she was just thankful that at least one good thing happened for him that day. He finally knew she loved him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or the characters.

“I’m telling you, he wasn’t there,” Yamcha said forcefully as Raditz and Kakarot interrogated him. “I heard what happened to Nappa, so I assumed he’d be there, but he wasn’t. To be honest, I was relieved.”

Kakarot and Raditz exchanged conspiratorial glances silently asking the other if they truly believed Yamcha’s story. Kakarot did, seeing as Yamcha had been out to destroy Vegeta with the fact that he had gone to the bar more often than not, or at least often enough to get suspicious. If Vegeta had been there, Yamcha would have said something. The fact that Vegeta had been less venomous towards their colleague made Kakarot believe Yamcha wouldn’t let anything happen to Vegeta. Though, the next thing he said made both brothers’ blood run cold.

“If he went out drinking, it was not at his usual spot. I can’t tell you if he went somewhere else.”

Well, now they were worried.

* * *

When the light peeked through the window, Vegeta cringed. Why did the sun have to be so bright? Then Vegeta remembered the night before and how much he drank. That definitely wasn’t his best move, and he sure as hell had the headache to prove that it was indeed a terrible idea.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he was naked and in bed…with someone else. When he remembered the girl from the bar, Vegeta’s blood ran cold as he prayed that he didn’t do something unforgivable. Nervously, he cracked his eye open and looked down at his chest to find a pale arm draped over him. His head followed the arm and he let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the arm belonged to Bulma. Sure, he had not wanted to take advantage of her in his drunken state, but at least he was with her and not some stranger.

Instantly, as he looked at her sleeping face, memories of the night came back to him. Even though it wasn’t the best circumstance, Vegeta felt his heart sore when he remembered her words. He couldn’t believe she loved him, despite the fact that he was an absolute mess that was easily angered. He gasped in shock when he went over that thought once more.

Bulma actually talked to him!

He finally heard her voice, but he thought she was supposed to wait. Fear instantly overcame him. It could be his fault that she caused more damage to herself. A soft sound from Bulma calmed him down. She started to wake up and stretch, but then when she opened her eyes and remembered where she was, she instantly looked to Vegeta. She looked scared too, but for him instead of herself.

“Are you okay?” Vegeta asked her, his voice slightly raspy and hoarse.

Bulma smiled and chuckled. Even her laugh sounded wonderful to him. “I should be asking you that. What exactly happened yesterday?”

Vegeta’s look became stern. “Your doctor said you shouldn’t talk yesterday.”

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know, but it actually feels great to talk. Honestly, I think I want a second opinion. I mean, what can some emergency room doc know anyway?”

Her informality amused Vegeta, his eyes lit up with mirth as he released a deep chuckle. “If that is what you want,” Vegeta told her. “It’s nice to finally hear you.”

Bulma snuggled against him and kissed his cheek. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dying to talk to you. I swear, from now on, I’m going to be quite the chatterbox and you will just have to deal with it.”

Vegeta gently grabbed her chin and kissed her full on the lips. “Or I could always do that.”

Bulma laughed again and hit his shoulder playfully. “Jerk,” she teased before she stuck her tongue out at him. He couldn’t help but smirk. If only the business world could see her now.

Well, maybe not exactly like this.

Vegeta grew serious again and turned to face her. “Nappa is in the hospital,” he explained what he could not the day before. Bulma’s face fell as he continued. “I don’t know what happened exactly. I didn’t really give Raditz a chance to talk before lashing out at him for not calling me as soon as Nappa was admitted. He…he needed emergency surgery and is in an induced coma and on oxygen to make sure his lungs aren’t damaged. And the entire thing is my fault because I wasn’t there to help him…just like I wasn’t there to help your parents. I’m sorry.”

“Vegeta,” Bulma admonished gently, “stop apologizing. None of it is your fault. These things are unpredictable; they happen, and we can’t stop them. I’m so grateful for you, for saving me, and for trying to get us all out. It was horrible, but the ones responsible for that were the idiots who did the testing behind mine and my father’s back. To be honest, Dad never wanted to do weaponry at all, but he was under pressure from certain workers, so he put in the protocol, because as you know that was our home. That didn’t stop them from wrecking it all. Thanks to Chi-Chi, they’ve all be fired. I knew who they were right away.

“As for Nappa, did they say he’ll be okay?” Vegeta nodded a few times. “He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself, Vegeta. How were you to know anything was going to happen yesterday? You’re not Superman and you can’t see the future. You can only do what you can do, and you already do a lot more than anyone would risk. I’m proud of you.”

Vegeta looked both relieved but reluctant to hear her words. “How can you say that when I screamed at you and treated you the way I did?”

“I understand,” she answered him as she stroked his chest with her hand. “You were upset and angry and scared. I lashed out at you too both when you were trying to get me out of the house, as far as hitting you, and then again at the hospital when I treated you, the one who protected me, so poorly. I’m not mad at you, so please don’t be mad at yourself.”

Vegeta didn’t reply, but he grunted. She didn’t know what that meant, but then Vegeta muttered something against her skin. “Get rid of the others in the fridge. I don’t want them here.”

Bulma smiled and nodded; she held him against her and ran her fingers through his hair. She was so happy she was finally able to talk to him that words could not describe. Maybe elated, maybe something more…she didn’t know. All she knew was she was happy, and Vegeta seemed to be reacting well to everything she said. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do it for you, or we can do it together.”

“If I smell anymore of that stuff, I’ll vomit.”

Bulma burst out laughing at his crass answer, but she wasn’t surprised. She saw a ghost of a smirk line his lips and hugged him tighter.

“What time is it?” he asked her, breaking their moment.

Bulma shrugged which made him get up. She blushed slightly when he got out bed and she could see everything, but she smiled lovingly at him as he searched his pocket for his phone. It was late, and he was definitely late for work which everyone would understand. What made him panic was the flood of calls, text messages, and voicemails from Kakarot, Raditz, Rodney, and surprisingly Yamcha.

Oh boy, was he in for it.

“Crap,” he muttered under his breath.

Bulma grew concerned again and wrapped one of his sheets around herself. She walked over to him and leaned her head against his back. “Everything okay?”

“I have to get to work to be chewed out for drinking by every single one of my ‘friends’,” he replied, “so just another day.”

“It’ll be okay,” she told him. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get home. We can go out and do something together.”

Vegeta nodded once in response. That was actually the only thing that would get him through the day. “I want to visit Nappa later.”

“We will,” Bulma assured him, “but for now, Nappa would want you to eat a nice breakfast, have some coffee, and take some painkillers before you go to work.”

“Not hungry,” Vegeta told her although his stomach growled in spite of his words. He cursed under his breath. Plus, the pained and worried look on her face and the fact that she actually voiced her concern for him spoke volumes, so he relented. “Fine.”

Bulma smiled at him and picked up her clothes. He did the same with his, just to get something on. Then he said one more thing to her. “He said I was his son.”

“He loves you like you are.”

“I should have been better,” Vegeta countered.

“He doesn’t care. He understands you.”

Vegeta nodded, feeling a little more at ease about his guilt. Now even he was thankful Bulma could talk. Her words did more for him than anything he did to himself the night before.

* * *

Bulma made sure Vegeta felt a little better before he left for work. He still had a headache and was still thirsty, but he needed to get to the firehouse before others started asking questions. Who was he kidding? They were already asking questions. There’s no way his lateness went unnoticed by his friends and boss/whatever the heck Rodney was to him.

 _Last night was a mistake,_ he kept telling himself. He was irritated with himself for giving into the temptation of alcohol when he knew he was dealing with addiction. Thankfully, Bulma did what he asked that morning and got the rest of the cans, all poured down the drain. He watched her do it and had mixed feelings, though rationally he knew it was what was best for him. When he talked to Nappa, he admitted his drinking was a problem, but he didn’t want help. But that was then. Now he couldn’t do what he wanted. Others needed him, both Bulma and Nappa.

He got to the firehouse and, when he did, he was right about being bombarded. Kakarot and Raditz were on him which gave him a worse headache than he already had. “Where the hell were you?” Raditz shouted in exasperation. “You had us worried!”

“Calm down, mother hen,” Vegeta scoffed. “Where I went is none of your concern. I’m fine.”

Yamcha looked between the friends nervously before he ducked out. He didn’t want to be in the middle of their confrontation at the moment.

“Vegeta, you know you should have told us where you were going,” Kakarot stated, his concern shining through.

“I went home,” Vegeta growled. It was the truth, but he omitted what happened after.

“You didn’t answer your phone,” Raditz pointed out.

Vegeta shot him a forceful glare, ignored the pain in his head as he scrunched his brow. “I did not wish to speak with any of you. You didn’t tell me when you should have. I should have been there. It was not your place to make decisions for me.”

Raditz frowned, but he understood better. He didn’t regret doing it, or getting beat up for it, because it had been what was best for Vegeta at the time. Still, he could acknowledge it was wrong, a mistake. “You’re right,” he told the angry youth. “I should have told you, but we can’t change that now. Nappa is going to be okay. Let’s just try to get through this day, and then we can all go back to being worried.”

Raditz made a point. The one thing about this job was that one needed to harden themselves, steel themselves from outside emotions until the job was done. That was the one thing Vegeta prided himself in doing. Sure, they still had to care about those they rescued, but they needed to have focus. Today, though, Vegeta couldn’t promise that he would be.

* * *

Of course there had to be a call that day; the alarm caused Vegeta to cringe. He had some lunch and more water which helped, but he still had a mild headache. At least he could think with clarity.

The site wasn’t bad, and the fire was contained fairly quickly. Vegeta went in to help the teenaged daughter of the homeowner—she had recently gone through surgery—the second they got there. Her mother warned them that her husband was still inside with the girl. Luckily for them, it was more a grease fire in the kitchen that hadn’t spread very far. No one got hurt, though Vegeta almost passed out after being in the hot building for about twenty minutes.

Yamcha noticed and handed Vegeta a bottle of water. Vegeta glared at his colleague but took the bottle and emptied it of its contents.

“You’re lucky you weren’t more dehydrated,” Yamcha told him. “That could have been bad.”

“Shut up,” Vegeta retorted as he crushed the empty bottle in his hand.

Yamcha cast him a hardened sneer. “They were worried about you,” the man told him, “and honestly so was I. You weren’t at the bar, so you had to have gone somewhere else.”

For someone who barely knew him, Yamcha pretty much interpreted his pattern well. The fact that he had also been concerned for him made Vegeta a little hesitant. Since when did the guy care?

“It doesn’t matter,” Vegeta admitted. “It’s not going to happen again.”

“That’s the thing with addiction, Vegeta,” Yamcha said in a quiet voice. “There’s always a high chance that it will. You can say now, the day after you went out drinking, that you don’t need it, but what happens when you feel the need again?”

The answer to that was something Vegeta wouldn’t voice. If this happened to him again, he would go to Bulma, drown himself in her. It was a much safer plan that he knew she would be okay with. She loved him, and he believed he loved her too. Being with her reminded him of the few fleeting memories he had of his parents’ relationship. There was a connection between them, one that wouldn’t be broken, just like both his parents and hers.

“Just trust me,” Vegeta grumbled. “Besides, you shouldn’t worry about me. I would hardly call us friends.”

“We may have gotten off on the wrong foot,” Yamcha joked, “but I’d be comfortable saying that somehow we became friends, even if it’s just in my head.”

Vegeta watched Yamcha as he walked away. It kind of surprised him that someone who once gave him so much trouble was willing to declare him a friend, kind of. It was strangely comforting that someone else was trying to get close to him, though it was still annoying that he had someone else that would be watching him like a hawk. Again, Vegeta reminded himself that it was what he needed right now. He needed people to pay attention to him and keep him from relapsing. Despite what he told himself and Yamcha, he knew Yamcha was right. He was going to have to be careful for a while. At least he could admit that much to himself.

* * *

Bulma felt incredibly relaxed despite her fears for Vegeta the night before. The fact that he finally confided in her and, even better, she could reassure him was a relief in itself. Also, it was kind of fun surprising her best friend when she called her up.

After Vegeta left, Bulma made an appointment with an otolaryngologist to get a better opinion on her throat. Because they knew of her, they put her in right away and checked her out quickly. She trusted the doctor’s experience and was happy that he told her that her vocal cords and throat were fully healed and that the doctor at the hospital was just erring on the side of caution. He wasn’t worried about her using her voice. She had been quiet long enough.

Chi-Chi alerted the company that Bulma would be returning the following day ready to take charge, and the employees were quite happy with the news. They had been so concerned about their vice-president now president and hoped to see her again soon. Projects weren’t the same without her or Dr. Briefs, so it boosted morale to hear their boss was coming back. Chi-Chi looked forward to working beside her best friend.

Vegeta came home and went straight to Bulma. He kissed her hello and pulled her close to him. Bulma smiled into the kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck, and deepened the kiss before she pulled away. “Hey, how was work?” she asked him making him smile slightly.

“Fine,” he answered honestly. “Last night made it a little rough, but I got through it.”

Bulma nodded and stroked his hair. “I got the all clear from the throat doctor,” she told him. “I don’t have to stay quiet any longer.”

“Good,” Vegeta answered as he took her hand. “It would have been…disappointing.”

Bulma chuckled with mirth. “Don’t tell me you like my voice that much. You’ll be singing a different tune when I talk your ear off.”

Vegeta moved to nuzzle the side of her face and tickled her in the process. Before she could ask him when he was doing, she felt his tongue trace her ear and nearly fell against him. “It all depends,” he said huskily whispering into her ear, “on what you say. I truthfully don’t mind.”

Bulma was proud of herself for being able to pull away from him. She smirked at him playfully and felt a swirling inside of her at his confused expression. “Well, I am hungry, and I’m sure you are too, my hardworking hero. Let’s go get something to eat and then head over to the hospital. Sound good?”

Vegeta frowned at the mention of the hospital, but at least this time he would have Bulma with him to speak words of comfort to him as he went to visit his guardian. He only hoped that Nappa would be close to getting better. He had to focus on the fact that his guardian was given a positive prognosis. After the previous night, Vegeta realized that he had to stop looking at everything as black and white, and he needed to fight himself from going into depression. He needed to think positively, and thankfully he had Bulma there to help him do that.

He let her decide on a restaurant, and they were off together. Vegeta held the door open and Bulma ducked down underneath his arm to get out, only to have him capture her in both of his arms. She laughed melodically and he grinned as he held her tightly. He didn’t care if he was behaving like a child, for this moment he felt strangely happy and calm. He didn’t want that feeling to go away.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

Vegeta was pleasantly surprised to see Nappa awake when he and Bulma entered his hospital room. His guardian looked over to them as they entered and a huge grin broke out on his face. The doctor looked at him in confusion but turned and saw the young man he met the day before. “Hello, Vegeta,” he greeted. “We were just checking Nappa’s vitals out and were going to call you. We woke him up about twenty minutes ago since his lungs were clear and he was healing at a pretty fast rate.”

“Hey, kid,” Nappa greeted. He patted the spot next to him on his hospital bed.

Bulma smiled as Vegeta took Nappa up on the invitation. He awkwardly sat down on the hospital bed as the doctor finished up the checkup, and he let his guardian take his hand. The two of them exchanged glances, Nappa smiled proudly at Vegeta who shyly smiled back.

The doctor finished up and wrote some things down in the chart and then grinned at the two men. “Everything is checking out, so we’ll keep you one more night and then tomorrow you can go home, but take it easy for a few weeks, okay?” Nappa nodded and the doctor left the room. When he was gone, Nappa let go of Vegeta’s hand, wrapped his arm around the youth’s shoulders, and patted his back.

“I’m in the clear,” he told Vegeta.

Vegeta just scoffed and said, “Not completely. You’re going to need to take off for a while.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nappa chuckled. “I heard about everything from the doctor. I’m sorry I never told you about the proxy thing.”

Vegeta shook his head. “It wasn’t that,” he told him. “I…Nappa, until the doctor says you’re in the clear, will you stay at my apartment? I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Nappa’s eyes widened at the request, but he smiled and nodded. “I’d love to.” He looked over to Bulma and grinned. “And how are you doing, Bulma?”

“Great actually,” she said. The older man’s eyes nearly fall out of his head. Vegeta chuckled at Nappa’s shock. “I went to another doctor today and he said it was okay for me to talk.”

“Well, I’ll be darned,” Nappa said marveled. “I’m glad you can talk now. It must be a heck of a lot easier for you.”

Bulma’s eyes met Vegeta and her lips curved upward. “It is.”

There was a silence that came after the conversation, and Nappa noticed that Vegeta frowned when Bulma smiled at him. The look in his eyes screamed guilt, and Nappa grew concerned. “Bulma,” Vegeta said softly, contrasting the look on his face, “can I speak to Nappa alone for a moment?”

Bulma had the feeling she knew what Vegeta wanted to speak to his guardian about and nodded. “I’ll go get us all some coffees from the cafeteria. Be back soon.”

She left the room and closed the door behind her, and then everything became silent again. Nappa watched as Vegeta tried to figure out the words to use, but he decided to just be blunt and let the chips fall where they may.

“I had a relapse.”

Nappa wasn’t shocked. In fact, when the doctor told him he found him ready to beat the shit out of Raditz and then ran off after he saw the proxy forms, he wouldn’t have been surprised if Vegeta ran home for a cold one. “Vegeta, it’s okay,” he assured him. “These things take time. Believe me; your father didn’t give it up overnight. You’ve at least been trying. Raditz told me about the other day where you turned it down. I’m proud of you for that. And this time, I kind of expected you to go home and have a few.”

Vegeta looked ashamed of himself and turned away from him. “I…I did go home, but I didn’t stay there.” He felt Nappa shift on the bed and felt the comforting presence of his hand on his back. “Bulma tried to keep me from having any. I shoved her out of the way and nearly hit her especially after she poured the drink down the sink.”

Nappa chuckled slightly. “Man, that girl has guts.”

Vegeta nodded, but then sunk down a little lower if that was possible. “I went out after and went overboard.”

Nappa frowned at the idea of Vegeta going out and getting drunk, but he simple patted his back which caused Vegeta to turn around and face him again. “It happens, kid. We just have to work towards it not happening again. If you relapse like that again, consider rehab. If you don’t, we don’t have to worry about it.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Vegeta questioned. “I acted like an idiot last night.”

Nappa smiled at Vegeta and shook his head. “You’re stronger than you realize, kid. It was a momentary weakness. To be honest, it could have been worse. One of the last times I tried to drag your father out of a bar, he attempted to fight me. Had to nearly knock him out to get him home.”

Vegeta’s face went blank as his mouth dropped open. “My father started a bar fight?” he exclaimed. “You have to be joking.”

“No joke,” Nappa laughed. “Your father loved his liquor back then. We were both stupid teenagers. This was way before he ever met your mother. At least you were smart enough not to drink in high school. Your father and I both could have gotten in a ton of trouble if someone recognized us and reported us to the school.”

“Why the hell did the bartender give a teenager alcohol?” Vegeta deadpanned. “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard.”

“Different times, kid,” Nappa reasoned. “I think people are a little smarter about it now. They didn’t check for I.D. much at that bar.”

Vegeta nodded and then leaned back against Nappa, and the elder chuckled. He noticed the pensive and distant look on Vegeta’s face. “You okay?”

The youth shook his head. “You said I was your son on the proxy. I’ve treated you terribly, though. How can you think of me as anything but a burden? I have too many problems.”

Before Vegeta knew it, he was captured into a strong and comforting embrace. “Shut up,” Nappa said. “Never call yourself a burden, Vegeta. Your parents loved you very much and so do I. And you never treated me terribly. You only think that way because you’ve been stuck grieving so long. You’re the son I never had, kid, and we’re in this all together, okay? Your problems, my problems, whatever problems may arise, we take them on together.”

Vegeta let out a breath of relief and nodded against Nappa’s chest. It had been a long time since he had let Nappa comfort him like this, since the beginning of high school. He couldn’t even remember what caused him to shut down in high school, why he chose to keep his feelings quiet. Maybe if he had talked to Nappa more he wouldn’t be stuck in a pit of self-loathing, but at least they were taking it on together. For a while, Nappa was going to staying with him and Bulma, and Vegeta could finally do right by him.

“You know, Nappa,” Vegeta started to say as he pulled away from his guardian, “if you’re going to be staying with us, there’s something you should know.” Nappa nodded for Vegeta to continue and his charge smirked. “It’s about me and Bulma.”

* * *

Bulma came back and found both Nappa and Vegeta laughing over something that seemed lost on her, but she smiled all the same. The fact that Vegeta seemed so laid back and happy was something she had hoped for. It was quite a relief that Nappa hadn’t been too severely injured, though he was going to be off of his feet for a while.

Nappa caught sight of Bulma first. “Hey, we were just talking about you.” When Bulma tilted her head in question, but Nappa just chuckled. “Only good things, girlie.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes at his guardian before he smirked at Bulma. “Nappa will be staying with us until he’s recovered,” he told her. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Bulma chimed happily. “I’m so happy the doctor said you could leave tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but no work for a while,” Nappa stated before he shrugged. “Eh well, I had vacation time anyway.”

“And you’ll be using all of it like the doctor said,” Vegeta ordered with a curt nod.

Nappa just laughed before he threw his arm around Vegeta’s back. “I know, kid; don’t you worry.”

Vegeta felt relief and a strange sense of calm take over him as he and Bulma stayed with Nappa. They talked and joked, and Bulma finally got the opportunity to tell her own stories that she couldn’t share with either of them before. Both were impressed that the girl managed to get all of her schooling up passed graduate school by the time she turned twenty-three, years prior, just so that she could be able to work with her father. She was homeschooled up until college, so she got to spend a lot of time with her parents. Her parents sounded like wonderful people, and Vegeta could picture them getting along with his parents. It was surprising to the youth how similar her parents’ stories resembled his parents’.

“But yeah, I guess my interest in technology started when dad took me to work for take your daughter to work day,” Bulma explained. “I mean, most of the stuff was at our house anyway, so I got to see a lot before actually setting foot in the company. The company building was more fast paced than the house, though. Most of the people were really nice to me from the start. Thankfully, they’re still loyal after all of this.”

“Hn,” Vegeta scoffed. “Nice to know not everyone is an idiot like at that press conference.”

Bulma flashed Vegeta a thankful smile. She hadn’t forgotten what he did for her that day. “I never got to truly thank you for everything you said that day, Vegeta. It really meant a lot to have you in my corner. I honestly thought I was going to fall apart when they started attacking me.”

Nappa grinned as he watched the two from the chair. He still couldn’t believe Vegeta finally opened himself up to give a relationship a try. The kid always turned girls at school down in the past, and it was kind of nice to see him experience something real for the first time. He was proud that Vegeta picked someone like Bulma. The two of them just seemed to fit together. “You wouldn’t have fallen apart,” Nappa assured her. “You’re very strong, and no one would have seen you getting upset as falling apart. It’s tough, going through what you both have been through.”

“Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Bulma responded softly as she looked over to her boyfriend’s guardian, “but I disagree with you there. Not being able to speak up for myself was hell.” She returned her gaze to Vegeta. “That’s why I greatly appreciate it.”

Vegeta gave a shrug before he slouched down in his seat. “It’s not a big deal,” he mumbled as he crossed his arms defensively. For some reason, the way Bulma was looking at him made him feel self-conscious and…embarrassed. He never felt either of those emotions before, but they weren’t unwelcome. He eyed Nappa through the corner of his eye, and his guardian was smirking knowingly at him. Vegeta managed to hide a small smile that formed. Telling Nappa had been a very good decision, maybe one of the first Vegeta made in the last few years, along with taking Bulma in. “I did what my father would have done. He never stood for people making life difficult on others.”

Nappa’s smirk became a soft smile. “You’re right about that, kid,” he agreed. “You’ve made both of your parents proud.”

Vegeta didn’t respond to the praise, though he knew Nappa was speaking truthfully. Although he had a setback the previous night, he was able to push through it. Now that he knew how low he could truly sink, Vegeta wasn’t crazy about drinking as much as he had been. Overall, Vegeta tried to strive to be the person his parents would have wanted. It still pained him, the grief he still felt, but maybe it was because he hadn’t let himself feel it for so long. Vegeta knew nothing of the grieving process, but at the hospital before Bulma returned to the room, Nappa told him that it was a long process, but he had to ride it instead of hide from it like he had been. His guardian told him this after they talked about his and Bulma’s relationship. Nappa approved right away and assured Vegeta that he and Bulma could help each other through their grief, especially now that they both could speak. Vegeta couldn’t help but agree, especially since she had been there to comfort him at his worst point.

He still couldn’t believe she loved him.

As the thought entered his mind, Bulma covered her mouth to yawn. “Wow, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Usually coffee has the opposite effect on me and keeps me up. Now I just want to sleep.”

Nappa smiled and nodded to her. “You two should go home,” he told them. “I’m sure you have a lot going on tomorrow.”

“Yup, first day back at the company,” Bulma admitted. “There’s going to a lot of people fawning over me. I’m almost tempted to stay in one more day.”

Vegeta shook his head as he stood up and looked to his guardian. “I’ll be here tomorrow,” he told him. “I’ll have Raditz use his car so we don’t have to take public transport.”

“Sounds good, kid,” Nappa replied. “See you tomorrow. Both of you. I wanna hear about your first day back, Bulma.”

The girl grinned and went to hug the man. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “Take care.”

* * *

When Bulma and Vegeta made it back to the apartment, Bulma retreated to the guest room much to Vegeta’s disappointment. He knew she would have to share his room while Nappa was there, and that she stayed with him last night, and he hoped she would join him that night as well. As soon as he settled for a night alone, Bulma came out of the room dressed in a t-shirt and sweats. She took her hair down, which Vegeta found he strangely preferred.

“You know,” she started to say as she entered his room, “if Nappa is coming here tomorrow, we’re going to have to move my stuff in here. It wouldn’t be very convenient if I need to keep getting changed in there when I’m sleeping in here.”

Vegeta entered his room and wrapped his arms around Bulma. He was unusually gentle as he laid his arms on hers and rocked her in his grip. “I’ll take care of it,” he assured her. “You just worry about work.”

“Thanks,” she replied softly as she leaned against him. “I still can’t believe I’m going back tomorrow. Part of me feels like I’m ready, but there’s a part of me that’s just…not. I don’t think I’m ready to let go of my father. This was always his thing.”

She felt Vegeta’s chin touch the top of her head. “You don’t have to let him go,” he assured her. “He taught you everything he knew. He’ll be with you the entire time.”

Bulma smiled and let out a short laugh. “I love that we’re having an actual conversation about this,” she said. “It’s so much easier than trying to squeeze everything on a board.”

“That board couldn’t capture everything,” he replied as he started to place kisses on her neck. “This, for example.”

“Mm,” Bulma hummed quietly loving the feelings he evoked in her. “Well, you’re right about that.”

“How long?” Vegeta asked her as he traced his hands against her sides.

“You’ll laugh at me,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Try me,” he responded seductively.

“I honestly don’t know when it started,” she replied. “I just knew that I felt safe with you, and I knew you would never let me fall, and I guess that’s how I ended up falling for you.”

“I share your sentiments,” he told her making her gasp. “I don’t know when it started, but after that night I stayed with you after the nightmare, I realized that I was never willing to do anything like it beforehand with anyone else. I felt comfortable with you, from the beginning. I was just fighting my own emotions this whole time.”

“Why?” Bulma questioned. She turned to face him and saw the shamed look he normally held when he had done something wrong. “Why did you fight your emotions?”

“Because,” Vegeta replied with a sigh. “Bulma, the only people I ever truly cared about…a part of me died with them. I didn’t want to be the same happy-go-lucky child after that, and I never trusted that anyone else I would have cared for would have been around for long. I was reluctant to make friends and to date and even pushed Nappa away. I’ve always just been…afraid.” He reluctantly admitted that he was afraid, but Bulma just smiled at him.

“You can’t be afraid forever,” she told him. “I know exactly what you’re feeling, Vegeta. My parents were my idols and guiding light, and I lost them because of others’ stupid mistakes. I’m afraid to lose people I care about, but it won’t stop me from caring. It won’t stop me from loving you. Life goes on.”

Vegeta nodded, though he had felt stuck for years. Well, he made himself stuck. Bulma was going through the same thing as him, but she still wanted to push forward with him. “We’ll get through it together,” she said, using the same words Nappa had voiced. He nodded in agreement and pulled her into a hug.

He was still afraid. That feeling probably wouldn’t go away for a long time, if ever, but it just made him treasure every minute with those he did have more. He didn’t want to take anything else for granted, and he didn’t want to shut himself away like he had the last few years. He wanted to live, and he wanted to feel. It had been quite a long time since he experienced any of that.

“Hey,” Bulma called of softly, “let’s get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

Vegeta nodded against her head before he let her go. They both got into his bed. Bulma cuddled close to him and draped an arm against his chest. She had a smile on her face; Vegeta just blinked at her. He was still a little unsure of himself, but Bulma didn’t seem to mind much. She always seemed to be at peace around him, just as he felt around her. Ready for sleep, Vegeta closed his eyes, placed his arm over hers, and thought about just how lucky his was that she returned his feelings almost as early as they developed—back in the beginning after he had only known her for a short time. Where he questioned it then, now it seemed like it was meant to be.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

“Can’t believe you kept all of this stuff,” Nappa said to Vegeta as the boy wheeled him into the room. It was already late afternoon, seeing as the doctors weren’t able to get to Nappa earlier like they had planned. It didn’t matter, though. It just gave the two more time to talk. Surprisingly, Vegeta was starting to be a little more talkative, even though sometimes it was forced. Nappa could tell Vegeta really felt guilty about the way he had shut him out, but Nappa didn’t really mind that. Trying to assure Vegeta of that was another story entirely.

Vegeta nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t part with any of it,” he told his guardian. “I know we got rid of quite a bit, but it just didn’t feel right.”

“How many of the boxes did you take from my cellar?” Nappa questioned as he saw some of the short stacks in the closet.

“Not enough for you to notice,” the twenty-six year old replied.

“Obviously.” Nappa let Vegeta help him get into the bed. “You could have just asked instead of sneaking your parents’ stuff out of the house. I would have given you whatever you wanted.”

Vegeta shook his head. He never wanted Nappa to know he was hung up on his parents back then, so it wasn’t easy for him to ask. Right now, it didn’t matter. Back then, Vegeta would have rather left in the cover of night and then tell his guardian the next day he wanted to be on his own for a while. Things certainly changed since then. No longer did Vegeta want to be alone, nor did he want to hide things from his guardian. For the first time in a long time, he was willing to depend on others and actually begin the grieving process. That alone surprised the young man since he avoided it all these years.

“Kakarot said he and Raditz would bring their extra T.V. for you so that you can watch while you’re in bed,” Vegeta said, changing the subject. Nappa hid his amused smile. Vegeta thought he was covering himself up so well. “They’re heading here after work. I figured we could order in. Whatever you want.”

The older man chuckled. “Well, the doctor said I should eat healthy, but what I really want is a pizza from Bruno’s.”

Vegeta smirked at his guardian. He remembered that when either he or Nappa was sick, they would always get a pizza and garlic bread from their favorite place. It was sort of their way of making themselves happy despite feeling like crap. “I have them on speed dial,” he remarked as he stopped at the door. Nappa didn’t see his smirk soften into a smile. “I’ll be back in a bit in case you decide you want to wait in the living room and rest.”

* * *

Bulma was happy being back at the Capsule Corp. main building. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and ready for a day of hard work. She set the ground rules, gave instructions on all of the new projects, and revealed the fact that she wanted to work on the gravity simulator with only a small selection of people whom she would interview at the end of the week. No one complained. They all understood her concerns about the final ‘weaponry’ project the company would ever have. Truth be told, the only reason she was even having anyone assist her was because the device would not be a true weapon, only used for government simulations for those going out into the great beyond. With how receptive everyone was to her ideas and demands, she almost didn’t want to leave.

Almost.

She did want to get home to Vegeta, especially since he was bringing Nappa home that day. Though her mental energy had been applied to her work all day, thoughts of her boyfriend ran through her head. Part of her wondered if he was doing okay, while the other part of her knew that, with Nappa there, he would be more open. In addition to those thoughts, she and Vegeta discussed the option of going on a date in the near future. They technically had gone on dates before, but she couldn’t talk at all, and then they skipped forward a few steps after Vegeta’s setback. The two of them agreed before they fell asleep the night before that they would have a legitimate date the second they were able to, and until then, they wouldn’t have a repeat of the other night. She was touched that Vegeta was being so considerate, and it was obvious he was afraid of letting the relationship progress faster than it already had. He didn’t want to scare her off. Although he hadn’t exactly said that, she had the feeling that it was the reason for his proposal.

It was a good thing that she only had a half an hour left in the office. Most of her employees either went home or chose to stay overtime to start working on the company changes. Though she accepted her new position, it was still hard to believe that she was the one leading the employees in place of her father. “I hope I can make you proud, Daddy,” she spoke out loud, mostly because she couldn’t stand being silent for long anymore. She never knew how much she could take her own voice for granted.

“You know, they say that the first sign of going crazy is talking to oneself.”

Bulma nearly jumped out of her own skin when she heard an unfamiliar voice at her office door. She stopped what she was doing and turned around to face the person. The man she saw was very tall and clean; he wore a suit as if he had come for an interview. Being the end of the day, though, Bulma was sure that he did not have an appointment. As she continued to observe his features—he had long, jade green hair tied into a ponytail—Bulma realized this man definitely came prepared for some sort of meeting. Still, the Capsule Corp. president didn’t even receive a call up from the front desk.

“Who are you?” she finally asked.

The man grinned at her, and it made Bulma feel very uncomfortable. “My name is Zarbon, Miss Briefs. I’ve actually come today on behalf of my boss.” He motioned to the chairs. “Shall we?”

“Actually,” Bulma said, “I need to start finishing up for the day. I wasn’t aware that I had an appointment, so I’m not entirely prepar—”

“We did not have an appointment,” the man interrupted her. “No preparation is needed. I just request a minute of your time.”

Bulma sighed. She was reluctant to talk with this man and wished he could just take the hint. “Fine, but make this quick,” she told him. “I have plans tonight.”

“Ah, a date?” Zarbon asked, his eyes twinkled in delight.

Bulma glared at him. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, but no it’s not a date. I just have people coming over for a family gathering.” She settled on that as her explanation; Zarbon didn’t need to know the specifics of her life.

“Fair enough, miss,” he replied, still smirking. “I’ll make this short. I don’t know how much you know about my boss’s company, Freeze Corp. The company was always a rival to Capsule Corp.”

“I am aware of that,” Bulma replied. “The weaponry division is state-of-the-art. Why?”

“Your father was offered a deal many times, to join sides with our company; however, he always refused. The deal is very grand indeed, and I assume you would understand a good bargain unlike your father before you. Frieza would like to meet with you and discuss the possibility for a partnership.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Bulma answered. “Capsule Corp. is no longer involved in the weapons trade. I’m sure you heard the news from the press conference.”

“We did,” Zarbon responded coolly. “We also know that you have one project left that we would like to be a part of. Just hear Frieza out. We can set up an appointment for next week. You have time to think about it, of course, and likewise, Frieza will keep all his appointments open for next week. You have until the end of the week to decide. I should be letting you get back to what’s left of your family.”

Bulma felt a sting when Zarbon said that. It was so unexpected and insensitive that Bulma felt the desire to kick him out of the office. She glared harshly at him. “That was uncalled for,” she told him.

“My mistake,” he replied nonchalantly. He slid a card onto her desk. “Just let me know.”

When he walked out of the office, Bulma let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She had no idea why this stranger was let up in the first place. The clock told her that it was now the end of the day and she needed to leave. It was a good thing she didn’t have much to do before Zarbon accosted her. Honestly, the rest could be finished in five minutes in the morning. It was time to go home.

* * *

When Bulma got into the house, she heard some cheering from the living room and quickly went to see what was up. She smiled fondly when she saw Vegeta sitting in between Kakarot and Raditz while Nappa sat in the chair. The elder man chuckled at Vegeta’s expression as the two brothers went nuts over wrestling. Vegeta was somewhat ducked down in between them with his arms crossed. He looked uneasy as the two brothers acted like he wasn’t even there.

“Well, hello boys,” Bulma greeted which effectively shut the two brothers up. The television was forgotten as their mouths dropped open.

“Bulma,” Raditz breathed out in shock, “you’re talking!”

“Chi-Chi said things were better now, but she didn’t tell me you could actually speak!” Goku exclaimed excitedly. “That’s amazing. Since when?”

Bulma glanced over at Vegeta, reluctant to answer. Vegeta was thankful that she didn’t blurt it out. He decided to help her out. “She went to another doctor yesterday to get a second opinion.”

“Yeah,” Bulma responded. “The emergency room doctor wanted to be overly cautious and have me stay quiet for longer. It was getting to be exhausting.”

“I’ll bet,” Raditz agreed. “It’s nice to be able to actually have a conversation with you.”

“How was work?”

Bulma shifted her eyes from Raditz to Vegeta. He looked genuinely curious and even concerned. It was obvious to her that he had been thinking about her day at work as she had been thinking about him moving Nappa in. “It was good,” she told him. “It was good to be back, though something strange happened to me at the end of the day.”

“Hm?” Nappa mused. “What happened?”

Bulma set her purse down on the hallway table before she walked further into the living room. “Well, some random guy from another company just walked right into my office and pretty much demanded I meet with his boss. Apparently they were our rival in the weaponry division and they want to partner up.”

“But I thought that you were getting rid of the weapons division,” Kakarot stated. “That’s what Chi-Chi told me, and what she said at the press conference.”

“And she’s right,” Bulma told him, “but there’s that final project that I’m taking on myself, and for some reason, this guy wants in. They said I have until the end of the week to decide on a meeting. Honestly, the guy made me feel pretty wary.”

“Will you be meeting with him again?” Vegeta asked, trying to mask his apprehension.

Bulma smiled to her boyfriend. “No,” she replied. “I have to set up the meeting with him, but I’ll be meeting with his boss.”

“You could always just meet with the guy,” Nappa told her, “and if you still don’t feel right about it, don’t sign anything. Vegeta’s mother always had problems like that being involved in business.”

“You’re right, of course,” Bulma replied. “I just don’t want to screw anything up from the get-go.”

Vegeta scoffed slightly. “You won’t mess anything up,” he assured her. “I’ve seen how hard you work. You’re good at what you do.”

“Thank you,” Bulma replied sheepishly while rewarding him with a smile. “Anyway, I’m going to grab a snack before we get dinner. Be right back.”

Vegeta stood up from the couch and ignored the fact that he was being watched by everyone. He entered the kitchen with Bulma and hugged her from behind. She tensed slightly at being startled, but relaxed, leaned back against him, and placed her arms on his. “I thought about you all day,” she told him.

She didn’t need to see his face to know he was grinning. “You were on my mind a few times,” he replied before he rested his cheek against her head.

Bulma seemed a little worried when he wouldn’t let her go, but instead of voicing her concern, she simply brought up dinner. Vegeta told her that dinner had been ordered about fifteen minutes before she came home and that it would be there shortly. It pleased Bulma to know that Vegeta had taken when she got off work into consideration. The little things he did for her spoke as many volumes as everything else he had done for her. “Thank you.”

He buried his face in her hair as he quietly muttered the words, “No thanks required, Bulma.”

With Vegeta, it seemed her thanks were never required. One day he would be able to voice just how much her presence in his life meant to him. That alone made the recognition she gave him for his actions unneeded, though it was nice to know she appreciated him too.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters.

A couple weeks passed since Nappa moved into the apartment, and Vegeta seemed more at ease. It was good that he had both Bulma and Nappa to keep an eye on him. He hadn’t frequented the sports bar, and if he wanted food from there, Bulma would pick it up so he didn’t need to worry about fighting temptation. Bulma was still going strong at the company, and she had taken Nappa’s advice to call and set up a meeting with Frieza. Strangely enough, after all the urgency, Frieza was not available to meet right away, or at least not at a time that fit Bulma’s schedule. According to Bulma, she would meet with Frieza later in the week and, thankfully, Chi-Chi was free to be with her.

After Bulma expressed her hesitancy in dealing with the man’s underling, Zarbon, Vegeta felt uneasy and that was always a feeling he hated. His concern grew the closer Bulma was to meeting with Frieza. The fact that she wouldn’t be alone relieved him, but it still begged the question of why he felt so unbalanced. One day he decided to talk to Nappa about it, and even Nappa felt off. Vegeta wondered what it could be, but no answers came to him.

Vegeta hated leaving Nappa at the apartment alone when he had to go to work for his shift. Though Nappa wasn’t truly an invalid, the youth still held a great deal of concern for his guardian. The one good thing about his day was that Rodney would give him a longer break and allow him to leave early using his paid vacation time just so that Vegeta could be there for Nappa. The two of them never discussed it, but Vegeta felt strangely thankful to Rodney for allowing him to leave without question. Vegeta, to express his thanks, would give Rodney progress reports on Nappa’s condition. The doctors said his guardian would be able to return to work, provided he would not do anything strenuous for a while, in a couple of weeks. Rodney joked that Nappa would be on office duty for a while, something both of them new he disliked greatly.

Overall, things were going well, and Vegeta hadn’t been tempted to drink at all. It concerned him, though, because he didn’t know how he would be if something bad did happen. The last time, he hit rock-bottom and worse. It wasn’t something he wanted to revisit, but the mind was only that strong _after_ the fact. It made Vegeta think of Yamcha’s words the day after. Yes, he was fine now, but for how long. Vegeta wouldn’t let himself linger on that for too long when the thoughts ran through his head.

“So, I was thinking,” Kakarot started to say. “Chi-Chi said that after their meeting this week, they’ll be leaving the office early. Wanna double?”

Vegeta considered the invitation for a moment before he nodded. “I don’t see why not,” he replied. “Bulma’s been stuck at the office most days, and then comes straight home, and I’ve only been going out for work. Even Nappa was joking that we needed a break.”

“Cool,” Kakarot said with a smile. “Raditz is going away for the weekend with Katie, so if we stay out late, you guys could always crash over at our place.”

Vegeta nodded in agreement, though he wasn’t sure he’d take him up on that offer. “Where are they going?” he asked, changing the subject.

Kakarot shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably up to Vermont. Katie really likes nature, and I guess it’s really pretty this time of year. Can’t believe in a couple of months it’ll be December. So much has happened this year.”

“Tell me about it,” Vegeta retorted with a slight scoff. He then made the realization that so many holidays were coming up soon: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years’…his parents’ wedding anniversary would fall somewhere between there. Unlike all the other years before, though, Vegeta wasn’t harping on any of it. He’d been focused on caring for Nappa and on his relationship with Bulma. He didn’t even mind the fact that holidays were coming up.

“So what time do you want to meet up?” Kakarot asked.

Vegeta thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “Text me a time later,” he told him. “I have to see what time Nappa’s appointment is that day.”

Kakarot grinned his usual intoxicating grin. “Awesome,” he said before he ran off and waved to Vegeta. “You won’t regret it.”

Vegeta, though, already knew that. Lately, he avoided the things he regretted.

* * *

Days passed since Vegeta made plans with Kakarot, and he told Bulma of them later on. She was thrilled to be going out with their friends, though the two of them agreed that they still needed some time to themselves. It was one of the reasons they both thought against staying over at Kakarot’s and Raditz’s place. Vegeta told Bulma he had something planned for afterwards for just the two of them. At least she had something to look forward to.

Bulma was going through the plans she made for the gravity project. She was close to completing them, though getting the equations to work was the biggest challenge. Her father’s research was incomplete, and she had to do the majority of the work herself. She didn’t mind, though, because it gave her something to do. Her only hope was that she was doing his project justice. Part of her wondered if her father would have taken the direction she did with the project and, regardless, if he would be proud of what she was doing with his project.

A knock on the door pulled Bulma’s attention away from the drafts. “Hey,” Chi-Chi greeted. She entered the office with a cardboard holder full of iced coffees. Bulma grinned at her best friend as she handed her a caramel mocha drink, her favorite energy booster. “I figured you could use a pick-me-up. You’ve been in the office all day.”

Bulma nodded as she sipped her drink. “I know, Chi,” she replied, “but I really want to start construction on this thing so that I can put that part of the company behind all of us. I want to make sure everything is perfect before I start construction.”

“I know,” Chi-Chi sighed, “but even you need to get out of the office. You’re the only one who will be working on this project, so it’s not going anywhere without you.” Chi-Chi flashed Bulma a smile, to which her friend returned and rolled her eyes. “Now, how about you finish the thought you’re on, and then the two of us go to lunch before that guy comes for his appointment.”

Bulma felt a sinking feeling in her gut when Chi-Chi mentioned the meeting with Freeze Corp.’s head. After she had called to set up the appointment, and Zarbon once again made her feel uncomfortable, she had spoken to Frieza who, like his assistant, made her feel insanely uncomfortable. It was one of the reasons she asked if Chi-Chi and a couple other workers could join her for the meeting. She made it sound necessary to have her father’s old assistant and the company accountant join them. Both men jumped at the chance to help her out, especially the old assistant. He told Bulma he promised her father to always look out for her.

“Don’t remind me,” Bulma said as she hugged herself with one arm. “Just thinking of that voice gives me the creeps.”

Chi-Chi frowned at her friend. She hadn’t been part of the phone conversation, but she knew her friend wasn’t one to exaggerate things. Things must have been said that terrified Bulma, and she wasn’t confiding them to her. The dark-haired girl could only hope that she at least told Vegeta what made her feel so uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Bulma hadn’t really found a good time to bring up the indirect threats and the blatant flirting between both her competitor and his assistant. The two of them let Bulma feeling quite uneasy.

* * *

Vegeta was given the rest of the day off after lunch since he had to go with Nappa to the doctor. It was the day where the doctor was going to tell the older man if he could start moving around more without a walker or cane. If he could, Nappa would be free to go back to work, though he wasn’t looking forward to doing paperwork or manning the phones. Still, he accepted it, if only because he knew Vegeta wanted him to take his recovery seriously.

After waving goodbye to his boss, Vegeta left the building. Kakarot was coming back from lunch and stopped him. “Hey Vegeta,” he greeted. “Going off for Nappa’s appointment?”

Vegeta nodded. “Yeah,” he told him. “What time are we meeting later?”

“Text me when Bulma gets home and we’ll work around you guys, okay?” Kakarot suggested. Vegeta responded with a nod once again and watched his friend walk inside the fire station.

Before he was able to walk away, a voice stopped him. “I couldn’t help but overhear,” the suave voice said, “but was the Bulma you mentioned Bulma Briefs, the Capsule Corp. president?”

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed when he heard his girlfriend’s name and title from some stranger and quickly turned to face the man who addressed him. His eyes widened when he saw the man Bulma described to him nights ago. “What’s it to you?” he asked, not letting on that he knew him.

“Nothing much,” Zarbon replied, “though, my boss is meeting with her today. I take it you’re the family she mentioned?”

Vegeta’s eyes widened when he heard that Bulma referred to them as family, but he quickly narrowed them once again and glared Zarbon down. “I fail to see how that’s any of your business, pretty boy,” he snapped harshly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

“That’s fine, _Vegeta,_ ” Zarbon emphasized letting the youth know he heard his name. “You were the one, weren’t you, that defended Miss Briefs at the conference, correct? That was a brave thing you did…considering…”

“Considering what?” Vegeta growled again. He was beginning to lose his patience. This guy was obviously trying to hold him there and get to him, and it was working.

“I’m just saying,” Zarbon replied smoothly as he waved his hand in jest. “I’m sure you have a reputation to uphold, and irritating other businessmen must have caused you some issue.”

Vegeta didn’t give Zarbon the satisfaction of either answering or reacting to that one. The idiot didn’t know what he was saying. There was no guise Vegeta needed to uphold, and he didn’t care if he offended anyone at the press conference, as long as Bulma was defended. He didn’t care that the paparazzi wanted to know who the ‘mystery man’ who defended her was. Truthfully, if it would make things better for Bulma, he would make himself known, but she just wanted to have some normalcy. He couldn’t blame her for that.

“You should run along, _Vegeta_ ,” Zarbon jabbed, breaking Vegeta from his musings. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your guardian’s _appointment_.”

Zarbon grinned victoriously as he let his words sink in and watched Vegeta’s face become wide-eyed and blank. The smirk never left Zarbon’s face as he walked past the startled youth. Vegeta couldn’t even respond, the shock forced him into silence. For the first time in a long time, Vegeta felt his blood run cold. It was one thing for Zarbon to know Bulma’s schedule, as he could ask those she worked for about her appointments. It was a whole other thing entirely for someone he wasn’t familiar with to know his own schedule—though he could have heard that from Kakarot— _and_ his own life. Vegeta mentally voiced the question he couldn’t even ask the green-haired man before he walked away.

_How did he know Nappa was his guardian?_

* * *

Bulma felt antsy, even with Chi-Chi and two other workers on the board in the conference room with her. Normally, these meetings would take place in her office and Bulma would be alone, but she didn’t want to be alone, not with this man. Thankfully, her best friend and the two workers who joined them wouldn’t hold this attitude against her. They knew she could handle meetings but a meeting with Frieza wasn’t like meeting any other CEO. If the rumors were to be believed, just meeting with him was dangerous.

No one had any idea, except Bulma. The indirect threats Zarbon shot her way and the matter-of-fact tone Frieza held when she called the office to actually set up the appointment left her feeling terrified. She expected to talk with Zarbon again, but he gave her Frieza’s direct line, and when she spoke to the man it was almost like he wanted to say ‘you will meet with me or else…’ Bulma did not want to know what the ‘or else’ would be.

And here she was, and when Frieza walked through the door the meeting would officially begin. She just needed to get through it.

When Frieza did enter, everyone stood up and hands were shaken. Bulma sat down with her colleagues, and Frieza sat at the opposite side of the conference table. “Thank you for meeting with me, Miss Briefs,” the man said smoothly. Bulma could only put on a smile and nod.

“Not a problem,” she replied without lying or saying it was her pleasure. “I understand you wish to speak of a proposal you gave my father a few years back.”

Frieza smirked at her. “Yes, you see, I knew that the weaponry division of your company would be big one day, and I hoped your father would agree to a partnership. My company holds much of the leading weaponry technology. We could advance your department and share the benefits.”

Bulma frowned. She knew Frieza knew the weaponry division was shutting down at Capsule Corp. “It is a generous offer,” she started, “but I’m sure you have heard that the weaponry division will no longer be active, save one remaining project. Besides, my father didn’t accept the proposal, so why should I undermine that, especially when the weaponry division will end?”

“I understand, Miss Briefs.” Cleary, he didn’t. “In fact, I know that the final project will be quite the undertaking. That is why I am proposing the deal again. It would be in your best interest to accept. I could get you any materials and, should you reconsider the decision to shut down the department, we could mutually benefit.”

The way he said ‘it would be in your best interest’ bothered not only Bulma, but Chi-Chi and the other workers as well. “I believe that Miss Briefs has already considered this,” her father’s old assistant said to their rival. “And as someone who was close to Dr. Briefs, I know that he would approve of the decision she made for the company. Other companies, yours included, will have to accept it.”

The look on Frieza’s face was chilling, his frown and glare held so much power over the four other people in the room. “I do believe that I am conducting this meeting with Miss Briefs and the commentary is not desired,” Frieza countered before he looked over to Bulma. The glare on his face pinned her. “What you need to decide, _Bulma_ , is if you want to make an enemy out of me. If you accept my deal, you won’t have to worry about that.”

Bulma swallowed nervously. He just threatened her, with witnesses. Was he insane? This final project, her dad’s life’s work…she needed to complete it alone. She knew that her father, especially with what his former assistant said, would not want her to squander the information and allow others into the project only to steal the information and take it for themselves. She didn’t trust this Frieza guy, not at all, and he made her feel more than uncomfortable.

“I will keep your offer in mind, Mr. Freeze,” she said as respectfully as she could without letting the waver in her voice shine through, “but for right now, this is something I need to do on my own. I will keep your contact information on file.”

Frieza’s glare became…darker, as if the pleasant man from the beginning of the meeting was gone and replaced by someone who looked like a serial killer. “You will regret it.” That was the only thing he said before he stormed out of the conference room.

The four remaining in the room became silent, hesitant. Chi-Chi was the first to voice anything. “I’ll drive you home, Bulma,” she offered. Bulma nodded in acceptance, too terrified to be alone. She really just wanted to be with Vegeta. With him, she always felt safe.

She looked over to the two who worked so closely with her father. “I think I need the rest of the day off,” she told them.

Her father’s old assistant nodded. “Take tomorrow off too, Bulma,” he suggested. “It’s Friday, and we can handle it. Please just stay safe.”

Bulma felt so thankful that there were people who worked for her father that actually cared about her safety and health. Months ago, when the press attacked her competence, she was sure that the Capsule Corp. workers would never accept her in her father’s role. She was so happy she was wrong.

After she thanked her employees, who were willing to take care of closing everything down at the end of the day, Bulma let Chi-Chi walk her too her car. As her friend began to drive to Vegeta’s apartment, she chattered on about something Bulma needed to consider in the near future…more security.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters
> 
> Things are getting intense really soon. Hope you’re ready for it all…

Vegeta couldn’t believe what was told to them. He and Nappa got home around the same time Bulma and Chi-Chi pulled up. Vegeta had been so excited to tell Bulma the wonderful news about Nappa but, when his girlfriend quickly ran over to him in tears, he couldn’t speak. Nappa asked what was wrong as Vegeta held Bulma tightly, and that’s when Chi-Chi told them what happened in the meeting.

Frieza threatened Bulma, and Vegeta was livid.

Threatening a young woman was not right. It was a display of cowardice, but apparently the display did its job, and now Bulma was an emotional mess. “What am I going to do?” she whimpered through her tears as the four of them sat at the dining room table. “If I accept the deal, I know it’s wrong and not what my father would want, and if I don’t then who knows what he’s going to do?”

Vegeta took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “You do what you planned on doing and you don’t give him the satisfaction,” he stated. “We just have to be more careful, all of us. I learned that earlier when I ran into his flamboyant lackey.”

Bulma’s eyes shot to his in alarm. “You met Zarbon?”

Vegeta nodded, a darkness veiled his expression. “He knew Nappa was my guardian.”

“How would he know something like that?” Chi-Chi asked hesitantly. “From the sounds of it, it sounds like he’s…”

“Stalking,” Nappa confirmed. “It’s what desperate fools do when they want something for themselves, and we already know what that is. Don’t worry too much about it, girls. I have some buddies in law enforcement. I’ll call them tonight and we can work on a few things. A restraining order and maybe a guard to hang around until a few months after the completion of this project might be the way to go.”

“I agree,” Vegeta stated. “Bulma, I don’t want you going anywhere alone, understand?” His voice held no room for discussion, and Bulma couldn’t help but nod. Vegeta then looked to Chi-Chi. “I don’t think you should be alone either. Either stay at your father’s place or Kakarot’s, and don’t drive anywhere alone.”

“You know what the sad thing is?” Chi-Chi remarked. “If I hadn’t been there and heard this freak, I would say you were all overreacting. Do you think you friend will really believe us, Nappa?”

Nappa nodded. “He’ll believe us, all right, and there are some other guys who I think would be willing to help out. They owe me a couple of favors.”

“I’m not even going to ask,” Vegeta murmured making Nappa chuckle slightly and ruffle his hair.

“You don’t have to worry, kid,” he said before he looked towards Bulma, “and neither do you. We’re not going to let anything happen to you or your company. This Frieza guy picked the most prepared group of people to mess with.”

That made Bulma smile and, although her emotions were high and she was still panicked, she took comfort in knowing they would all be okay.

“Another thing,” Nappa spoke up again. “Vegeta, check with your landlord about having a security system installed.”

Vegeta nodded and pulled Bulma close to him. “Noted.”

* * *

Kakarot came over to pick Chi-Chi up, and the whole story was told to him. He grew worried, but he was mostly furious. Neither Bulma nor Chi-Chi deserved any of this, and the creeps that were stalking them…he couldn’t come to grips with any of it.

He called Raditz on the way home and explained the situation to him. Raditz wasn’t happy about the situation either. The older brother hated that he was out of town with Katie for the weekend, but he told Kakarot to have Chi-Chi stay with them for a while. He knew between the two of them that the girl would be safe. He also knew that Vegeta wouldn’t let anything happen to Bulma.

“I should let my dad know,” Chi-Chi stated quietly after Kakarot invited her to stay. “We don’t know how much of Bulma’s life these guys have been watching, but they have to know we’ve been friends for ages. I need to let my father know to be on alert.”

Kakarot nodded in agreement. “You can call him from my apartment. And don’t worry; tomorrow, Vegeta and I planned on us all doubling. We’ll all look out for each other, okay?”

Chi-Chi nodded but then she shook her head rapidly. “This is all so messed up,” she said sounding exasperated. “I mean, Bulma finally gets to a place where she can handle everything, and then some guy decides to cause more trouble for her…for what? Just to make money off of her father’s last invention? It’s just…why?”

“I don’t know,” Kakarot replied as he gripped the steering wheel even tighter. There were just some people he couldn’t figure out. “It’s okay, though. We’ll figure something out. When Bulma’s done with the invention, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

Chi-Chi didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She honestly didn’t know. “Frieza didn’t seem the type to go down without a fight. Honestly, I think he’d be just as horrible when the gravity simulator is finished if not worse.”

His hand instantly shot to hers and he grasped firmly. “We won’t let that happen.”

Chi-Chi smiled slightly and squeezed his hand back. “Thank you.”

* * *

“What do you want?” Bardock snapped bitterly.

“Feh,” Nappa scoffed. “Hello to you too.”

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes and motioned for Nappa to follow him to his desk. “It’s been a while. Have any more secrets to keep from me?”

“Get over it,” Nappa remarked. “Raditz told me everything before you told me your boys ran away. You were smothering them, and I’m not going to apologize for looking out for them.”

“It wasn’t your place,” Bardock retorted.

“You’re right,” Nappa replied, “which is why I said nothing. I’m not your spy. Just because I’ve known you since high school doesn’t mean I owe you anything.”

“Then why are you here?”

Nappa sighed. He knew this was a longshot, but Bardock did owe him favors from when they were teenagers. The man was an officer, and he could provide excellent protection. The only thing that would be held against him was that he did not tell the man when Raditz and Kakarot walked through the doors of the fire department for jobs. Raditz was old enough to make his own decisions, and Kakarot wasn’t far behind him. It wasn’t Nappa’s place to send their father after them.

“I’m here to cash in on a favor,” Nappa stated evenly. “Have you heard of Frieza Freeze?”

Bardock paused in his work and turned to face Nappa. “That bastard? What did he do now?”

“He’s a criminal, then,” Nappa continued, not surprised by the revelation, and sat down across from the officer’s desk. “I figured as much.”

“What about him?” Bardock asked defensively.

Nappa’s expression darkened. “Vegeta, my son, is dating the Capsule Corp. president, and she’s currently working on her father’s last invention, the only remaining invention for the weaponry division she’s phasing out. Frieza met with her a few days ago and threatened her. His assistant has been stalking her and Vegeta. It’s possible that he’s been following Bulma around for a while, and her friend Chi-Chi who is dating your son.”

“The tramp I saw with Raditz?” Bardock scoffed.

Nappa glared at the man. “First of all, Kaitlyn is not a tramp. She’s a valuable member at the station. Second, I meant Kakarot. Anyway, they’re all going to need extra protection.”

“I agree,” Bardock replied. “So you’re asking me to play lookout? I do have work.”

“If not you,” Nappa started, “then anyone you can think of that can keep them safe. They’ve all been through a lot.”

Bardock’s expression didn’t indicate which way he was leaning towards. “I’ll think about it.”

It wasn’t a ‘no’, but it wasn’t the answer Nappa had been hoping for. “Fine. Just know that the longer you take to make the decision, the worst it will be.” And after he made that remark, he left. After all, there was no sense in trying to reason with the normally unreasonable.

* * *

Bulma was reluctant to go to work, so much so that Vegeta asked Rodney for the day off. Rodney attempted to get information from Vegeta as to what was wrong, but Vegeta refused to let on to anything. If Rodney wanted to know, he could go to Nappa. Vegeta used to loathe his boss doing such a thing but knowing his relationship to his father changed things. Still, Vegeta had no time to appease his boss/grandfather-figure. Instead, he needed to focus on Bulma.

He went with her to everything that day, including her few meetings. He got to see her in a completely different light. He knew she was intelligent. She would have to be to create and build things as her father had. This…this was different. She knew how to work with others, something he could never do, with patience and grace, virtues he did not possess.

Vegeta liked seeing her in her element. She was very composed, all the time actually, but she wasn’t fake, and she had a good relationship with her employees. She even met with a few clients, and he could see that she definitely had what it took to fill her father’s shoes. No one talked down to her, not like at the press conference. He was relieved that he most likely would never have to stand up for her because she could hold her own. He would always be there to defend her, but it was better if she didn’t need it.

When lunch came, they stayed in the building together and ate up in her office. “I hope your boss wasn’t mad when you asked off,” Bulma stated. Unbeknownst to Vegeta, she had been worrying about that all day.

Vegeta shrugged. “He didn’t seem it. He understands that between you and Nappa, I have my hands full. He made sure we had a full staff before he let me off.”

“It won’t affect your pay, will it?”

“Don’t worry about that, Bulma,” he admonished. “What’s important right now is making sure you’re safe.”

Bulma nodded, but it didn’t make her feel any better. This Frieza guy still had to be stalking her. There was no way he was giving up on this deal even with her rejection. It terrified her to think that he’d go after anyone close to her. She was starting to understand why Vegeta pushed people away after his parents’ deaths. She couldn’t even bear to think what it would do to her if she lost anyone else.

Vegeta took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly to let her know that he was there for her. Though unaware of her inner musings, he knew she was stressed and terrified and he wasn’t going to let he go through anything else alone. She leaned against him and continued to eat her lunch as Vegeta held her tight. She was thankful he was there for her. Even though she feared for his and everyone else’s life, she could at least take comfort in knowing they were still there.

* * *

Meanwhile, there was another in the town who had plans for all the others. Frieza sat in his office, biding his time. He was still livid that the Capsule Corp. president denied his offer. He made it clear that it was a mistake to cross him, but the woman still didn’t budge. She hadn’t been the president very long and yet she was already too comfortable in her position. He knew he needed to fix that. He would not let her get away with denying him what he wanted like her father had.

It had been when the girl was a child that Frieza met with Dr. Briefs. The doctor just began the weapons division due to the pressure his staff put on him in the board meetings. The meeting had gone down much like it did the other day with his daughter. Dr. Briefs had been reluctant to even start the division, and so he turned down his offer because he did not want it to be his company’s main focus or image. At the time, Frieza couldn’t do much because the meeting had been public knowledge. But he still had his workers spy on the family. He had to bide his time, and about fifteen years later, he had his opportunity. He was not going to wait another fifteen years to make a move.

That’s why he planned to initiate something really soon to one of the girl’s loved ones. He made it clear that she would regret it. There was no doubt in his mind that Zarbon’s delivered message to Vegeta hit home. The girl had to know he knew about those she spent her time with, including the man who defended her. Frieza smirked as he thought of the possibilities. He knew what he was going to do to him, and nothing was going to get in his way. He would make sure of that.

* * *

That night officially marked the weekend, and Vegeta brought Bulma over to Kakarot’s apartment. She was so happy to know that Chi-Chi was staying with Kakarot for a while and that Raditz would be back after the weekend. Chi-Chi would be protected. She was also thankful for a moment’s peace. Spending a night with her boyfriend and friends would help distract her from everything. They planned on watching a bunch of movies and getting delivery so that they wouldn’t have to go out.

“We should totally watch a romantic comedy,” Bulma stated, wanting to just act girly with her best friend.

Both Vegeta and Kakarot made faces and exchanged glances of displeasure. Chi-Chi saw this and put her hands on her hips. “And what’s wrong with romantic comedies, boys?”

“They’re annoying,” Vegeta stated.

“And boring,” Kakarot added.

“Ugh, men.”

Bulma laughed at the small argument before she spoke up. “Guys, we’ll watch all the action you want later, but I just want to watch a movie Chi-Chi and I can go nuts over.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Truthfully, he didn’t mind the romantic comedies Bulma usually watched. He remembered one that was on TV when she first started staying with him. It confused him, what he was feeling then, because his feelings for her had developed so quickly. It scared him that another exposed him without him realizing it, and so the movie left him slightly irritated. Now that he had admitted he loved her to himself and to her, just not in those words, maybe the movie wouldn’t irritate him as much.

“Fine,” he surrendered. “Just wait until the food gets here so that Kakarot and I can have a legitimate distraction.”

“Okay,” Bulma said softly as she smiled warmly at Vegeta. He smiled back at her before he sat down near her. Kakarot and Chi-Chi sat on the couch on the other side of the room and just watched their two best friends interact as if they were the only ones in the room.

“I’m so happy she’s happy,” Chi-Chi said, her earlier irritation with the boys gone. “Vegeta has gotten her through the toughest time in her life.”

“She’s been doing the same for him,” Kakarot told her. “I’m glad he has her. If not, he’d probably be in a bar right now instead of here with us.”

Chi-Chi seemed surprised by this. “He drinks? I didn’t know that.”

Kakarot smiled sadly. “I didn’t know either. Seems like I was being kept in the dark. Everyone else knew he was struggling with it. I found out the night Nappa got hurt. Raditz took me to go question Yamcha to see if Vegeta went to a bar he usually frequented. Raditz kind of unraveled after that, worried because he didn’t know where Vegeta went.”

“That’s terrible,” Chi-Chi murmured. She looked over to the couple. “Why does he do that to himself?”

Kakarot didn’t know the specifics, but he knew the general problem. “He never got over his parents’ deaths. It wasn’t until Bulma came into his life that he had to start going through the motions of grief. I think he tried to bury it for so long. I’m hoping now that he’s aware of the problem, things will be okay.”

“I really hope so,” Chi-Chi replied. “At least we can say they’re happy.”

Kakarot nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”

“So…you don’t think we need to worry about him?” Chi-Chi questioned.

“Not now at least,” Kakarot expressed. “I think Vegeta has accepted that he has a drinking problem and is less likely to drink now that he has accepted that. Before, Raditz told me he refused to admit and even denied that it was a problem.”

Chi-Chi accepted that and the conversation about Vegeta’s vice ended there. She wouldn’t hold it against him especially when he kept Bulma from doing the same thing. He gave her friend hope somehow, even when he didn’t believe in it himself. And now he was trying to confront his demons while continuing to take excellent care of her friend and make her happy. Chi-Chi smiled at the couple, Vegeta propped on the couch with Bulma leaned against him. Both of them rested quietly with their eyes closed. Despite the lingering threat of Frieza, there was this strange peace they all managed to hold onto. Chi-Chi knew in that moment that everything would work itself out.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters
> 
> Hey everyone! Intense chapter coming up.

A loud bang on the door woke the four people in Kakarot’s and Raditz’s apartment up. The two couples fell asleep in each other’s arms the previous night, Vegeta and Bulma on the couch and Kakarot and Chi-Chi on the loveseat. Everyone jolted awake; Bulma clung to Vegeta, startled. He gave her a reassuring squeeze not to worry. Chi-Chi had been just as surprised by the knock.

“Who could that be?” she voiced. Kakarot only shrugged and wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. He went to the door and looked through the peephole. His eyes narrowed and he growled in frustration before he opened the door and revealed his father.

Both girls were stunned to see a man who looked like Kakarot standing in front of him, but Vegeta had seen photos of the man a few times before, mainly from his father’s and Nappa’s yearbooks. The three boys had known that their fathers/guardians all knew each other, but other than that, it was just old news.

Kakarot glared at his father. “What do you want?” he bit out.

Bardock looked into the apartment and saw two girls looking at him wide-eyed and fearful. Although he would have normally decided to take this moment to lecture his son about poor choices, he had a job to do. The girls looked tense, terrified even. He had to put his own emotions aside to give them some sense of ease.

“Nappa cashed in a favor,” Bardock grumbled. “From now on, either I will be keeping an eye on all of you or one of my underlings. Their names are Krillin, Tien, and Launch. They’re excellent officers, and we’ve all had to deal with Frieza at one time or another. None of you will be going anywhere without one of us knowing.”

“No,” Kakarot rejected, shocking the girls. “This is not how you’re getting back into my life.”

“I’m not doing this for that,” he assured his son. “I won’t even be staying right now provided you keep everything locked up. I’ll keep an eye from a distance tonight. This is just to make sure everyone is getting to work or home safely. Also, if you ever find yourself alone, stay on public sidewalks where there’s a lot of people to witness. Don’t use abandoned alleys to take shortcuts like you and your idiot brother used to do. For now, you have to play this following my rules.”

“What do you get out of this?” Kakarot asked, curious. “Usually you don’t do anything unless it benefits you.”

“You’re right,” Bardock admitted, his expression still hardened. “Though Nappa asked the favor mostly for his son,” his eyes cut over to a stunned Vegeta before he returned his gaze to Kakarot, “it reminded me that my own son was in this just as deep. Later we’re going to need to talk about some stuff, but until then I need to make sure you’re safe.”

Kakarot was surprised to hear his father say that, but he did not visibly relax. “Whatever,” he grumbled. “Only because we don’t know when or how this guy will strike.”

Bardock nodded and then said, “You have my cell number. I will be downstairs staking out the place. If you need anything, call. If anyone needs to leave, call.” Then he turned away from his son and began to walk down the hall. Kakarot shut the door and let out the breath he didn’t even realize he had been holding and gently bunked his head to the door.

“You okay, Kakarot?” Chi-Chi asked him as she moved to comfort him.

“I’m fine,” he answered. “Just shocked he even cares. It’s been a while since he’s acted like that. Like a parent.”

“It’s um…nice, that he’s willing to help us out and all,” Bulma spoke up. “I’m still really afraid of what Frieza might do.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Vegeta said. He nudged her shoulder with his elbow gently. “As you can see, we’re taking this all very seriously. Nothing is going to hurt you or your friend.”

 _And what about you guys?_ Bulma asked, though she didn’t voice it. She was nervous over what Frieza could do to her, but she was terrified that he would hurt the people she loved. She already lost her parents. She didn’t think she’d make it if she lost Vegeta or her best friend or anyone else in their inner circle. The thought of any of them not being in her life frightened her immensely.

Maybe she should have just abandoned the project when she had the chance.

* * *

It was a little better for the group to have protection of the police force. For the most part, Bardock wasn’t involved. Kakarot and Vegeta would call him only to make sure everyone had protection for the day. Tien usually stayed at the apartment with Nappa, while Krillin went with the boys to work. Launch would go with Bulma and Chi-Chi to the company and make sure both girls got in and out of the building safely.

Things were unusually quiet. Bulma heard nothing from Frieza or Zarbon, not even an attempt to make more demands or argue her decision. Everything around her seemed to stop. Except the fact that she was almost done with the design for the gravity chamber.

Construction already started on the chamber, and it was scheduled to be finished within the month. It came as both a great sadness to Bulma, but also a great relief. Soon, she wouldn’t need to worry about Frieza. Of course, Bardock’s underlings would still accompany them until they were certain Frieza would not be a problem. What saddened her was that finishing this project meant finally saying goodbye to her father’s career and be their last joint project. Everything else would be her ideas, and it left her feeling empty. At the same time, she just wanted it to be over with. Eventually, Frieza would have to give up. If anything happened to her, well, everyone around her knew. Even if it couldn’t be proven, it would ruin Freeze Corp. He had to be smarter than that.

And he was.

* * *

The month went by quickly, and Bulma and her colleagues finally submitted the data collected from testing the machine and even got it patented. Vegeta was so proud of her for working as swiftly and diligently as she did while mourning and fearful for everyone’s life. The night of the project’s completion, everyone was going to be over at his place to celebrate. She finally made it to this milestone, and Vegeta felt very lucky that he got to spend that with her.

That’s why he was where he was. He got out of work a little early and had some time to kill before Krillin would pick him up. There was a jewelry store at the corner of the street—only three buildings down—and Vegeta wanted to get Bulma something very special. Their relationship had progressed further over the past month, and Vegeta realized something very important.

He did not want a life without Bulma.

He spent a week thinking about what that meant. For someone like him who had experienced loss, he had tried so hard to avoid falling in love. Meeting Bulma changed him. Though he hadn’t told her he loved her, he knew she knew. It was pretty soon in their relationship, maybe too soon to be taking the big step. Their relationship had been unconventional anyway, so he figured that part didn’t matter.

Vegeta made his purchase and placed the velvet box in his pocket. It was almost time for the station to change over. Yamcha would be there for the night shift, and Krillin would arrive be there soon. The twenty-six-year-old left the shop and was about to head back to the station.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting here?”

Vegeta froze and turned when he heard the voice of Zarbon. A sneer appeared on his face when he heard that sickening, suave, smug voice taunt him. He didn’t turn to face the pretty boy. Instead, he stood his ground, his arms stuck at his sides. He remained silent. Zarbon, however, did not.

“You’ve been looking at this store all week,” the creep chimed yet still did not gain a reaction from Vegeta. “I almost thought you were going to chicken out, but all I had to do was bide my time.”

“Are you done?” Vegeta grumbled, still not facing Frieza’s lackey. “I have things to do.”

“I’m sure you do,” Zarbon said. He grinned darkly at his soon-to-be victim. “Unfortunately, I have other plans for you.”

Vegeta was not afraid of Zarbon. Truthfully, there was nothing he could do to him. They were outside a store, and soon Krillin would show up, which the idiot had to have known. Zarbon wouldn’t act. There was no chance he’d risk prison.

“Your little bodyguard has been held up,” Zarbon jeered. His words made Vegeta’s blood run cold. “Traffic jams really are awful, especially when a poor, unsuspecting worker has car trouble. Of course, our worker should have known not to screw up a big deal today. Oh well…that’s life.”

A bitter taste filled Vegeta’s mouth. “You killed your own employee?” the firefighter questioned. “That’s disgustingly low.”

Zarbon only laughed. “Yes, I guess you can say that, but trust me. This is not the lowest we’ve gone. You see, one time, there was this woman that disobeyed her family, and they requested her job be threatened. Mr. Freeze believed the woman to be loyal, but the bitch decided to leave on her own accord. You see, her little brat and her worthless husband were more important to her than her job. And she did well for herself, until she rejected the offer I gave her the morning of her business trip.”

“Where this is all very fascinating,” Vegeta deadpanned, “I really do have things to do. Let’s just get whatever the fuck you’re planning over with.”

Zarbon grinned when Vegeta finally faced him. “You seem interested,” Zarbon remarked. “As you should be. Don’t you want to know who the woman, her brat, and her husband were? I bet the answer will surprise you.”

Part of Vegeta found familiarity in Zarbon’s words. Something about the story caught his attention. The other part thought Zarbon was just trying to catch him off-guard. Still, it couldn’t hurt to stall for more time since Krillin was still on his way there. If he could buy his time, he could get out of the situation unscathed. “Enlighten me,” he muttered with derision and lip curled in disgust.

“I’m so glad you asked,” Zarbon taunted. “Well, here it is. Her brat ended up an orphaned bastard and drunk like his firefighter father.” He let the words register in Vegeta’s mind, and once they registered, he knew. The look of shock that appeared on the youth’s face made Zarbon smirk in victory; he finally was able to tell Vegeta the truth. “That’s right, Vegeta. I’m looking right at him. That bitch was, in fact, your mother.”

Zarbon didn’t even see Vegeta’s fist before it smashed directly into his face.

* * *

Everyone was at Vegeta’s apartment just waiting for Krillin and Vegeta to arrive. “Alright, I got the sound system set up,” Kakarot said happily.

Nappa shook his head and chuckled. “Vegeta’s neighbors are going to be pissed. We’re not having a dance party here.”

“It’s for when the press announces the completion of the gravity simulator,” Raditz grumbled while Katie laughed at his irritated expression and leaned against him. “My idiot brother insisted. I swear, if you get Vegeta kicked out, I’m not defending you.”

“Oh, we’ll be fine,” Bulma replied smoothly. In truth, she was already making plans for hers and Vegeta’s future. There were times they’d both look around the apartment and get sad and pensive, especially after Nappa was able to return home. She believed the place to be haunted, in a sense, by all the bad memories. After all, Vegeta moved into the place alone because he was trying to escape everyone and everything. Then, she entered his life as she went through her own tragedy.

With the money she’d be making from this project alone, not to mention her inheritance, the two of them could live anywhere, do anything. She was thinking that they could buy a house closer to either the company or the fire station. She had yet to discuss it with him, especially since they were only a few months into their relationship. She loved him and she wanted to have a future with him. If she were being honest with herself, she believed he wanted that, too.

Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall and she frowned. Vegeta was supposed to get out work at five, and it was already almost a half-hour past that. She wondered if he got held up with Rodney or was talking to Yamcha. She also wondered why Bardock hadn’t heard from Krillin yet.

Yes, surprisingly, the easily angered patriarch was there at Vegeta’s apartment while both his sons and their girlfriends were present. He didn’t say much but so far he hadn’t attacked anyone. He was there to keep everyone safe, and Krillin was supposed to call him when he was with Vegeta.

 _It’s nothing,_ Bulma said to herself, though she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. _We’ll get the word any second. Vegeta’s okay._

Bardock’s phone rang in that exact second, and Bulma felt her heart stop in shock. “Yeah?” the officer snapped in his phone before his eyes narrowed. “An accident?” Bulma nearly panicked. “Alright, I’ll get over to the fire station. Is the other route clear? Good.”

Bardock hung up and saw everyone look at him, fear in their eyes. Bardock chuckled and waved his hands down. “It’s fine. Krillin was just letting me know he was stuck in accident traffic. I’m going to head out now, go the other way where there’s no traffic. I’ll be back with Vegeta in a bit.”

Bulma felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had been so worried, but now that there was an explanation to her boyfriend’s lateness, she felt better. There was only an hour left before the invention would be announced on the news, and everything was fine.

But Bulma still felt like something was wrong.

* * *

Zarbon did not expect Vegeta to snap out of shock so quickly, but he was able to shake off the punch and chuckled. It was clear that Vegeta was a tough guy, but he did not have the experience Zarbon did. The taller man worked with Frieza for three decades, and he had been in his fair share of brawls. He was not afraid to let the angered man get a few shots in, especially since he knew the proper turns he could make. Vegeta could hit him, but Zarbon would not take any damage.

“What’s the matter, kid?” Zarbon asked while he laughed at the angered boy attempting to beat into him. “Don’t you want to hear the rest of the story of what happened to your beloved parents?”

“Shut up!” Vegeta snarled as he sent another punch to Zarbon’s face. To his surprise, Zarbon caught it easily. Vegeta’s eyes widened as Zarbon smirked.

“Okay, I think I gave you enough free shots,” the businessman spoke smoothly. “Now it’s my turn.”

Vegeta received a shock when he felt the pretty boy’s fist pound into his stomach. He hit so hard, Vegeta felt ill and coughed up blood. He spit it out, but Zarbon already had him in a choke hold. Vegeta struggled, but he couldn’t get free before Zarbon brought him down to the ground hard. After Zarbon beat Vegeta to the ground, he quickly stood up and stomped his foot down on his victim’s body. Vegeta coughed and struggled to get some air.

“If I were you, I’d stop fighting,” Zarbon stated. “I have more skill than you do, and I intend to use it all to my advantage.”

The twenty-six-year-old was breathing heavy and knew he was outclassed. He tried to think of a way out of this. Krillin still hadn’t shown up, but Vegeta was sure he made other arrangements. Vegeta just needed to hold out a little longer before someone would show up. He needed to make it out of whatever Frieza planned for him. If Zarbon kept talking and remained distracted, Vegeta would make it back to Bulma. That’s all he cared about at the moment. Not his image. Not his pride. Bulma.

“What happened to my parents?” Vegeta asked as he struggled for air. It felt like Zarbon was crushing his windpipe.

The sinister salesman smirked and spoke of the events as if her were proud. “You see, your mother had worked for Freeze Corp. for a long time. Her family’s company was partnered with Freeze Corp. She was the perfect businesswoman, able to make better deals than anyone. She was perfect in every way.”

Vegeta knew that about his mother, but it made him sick to hear some freak talk about her that way. “That is, until she married that firefighter.” Zarbon’s expression darkened, and Vegeta could sense there was more to his and his mother’s relationship than what he originally let on. “That bastard took her away from me. I was days away from asking her out, but she chose that nobody over me. Can you believe that? I had everything that the poor fool didn’t.”

Yes, Vegeta really could believe it. His mother never cared about material possessions. She was kindhearted, honest…everything the workers around her weren’t, evident now by the company she left. She loved his father, flaws and all, and Vegeta grew up in a household where both parents loved him and wanted the best for him. No, his father didn’t have money. He wasn’t a pretty boy. His father had his problems. But he was a man of honor; he was loving; he was brave; and he changed his life for the better. His father did, indeed, have everything Zarbon didn’t, and he definitely was the better option of the two.

“Heh, sounds like my mom dodged a bullet,” Vegeta said before he could stop the words. He received another kick, this time to his head. He gritted his teeth, forced himself not to cry out.

“Do you really think you’re in the position to be making any comments like that?” Zarbon growled. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, that’s right. So one day, Frieza got a phone call from our joint company, your family’s company. They said they wanted their daughter to leave her husband and son. They knew only our boss could talk sense into the woman. Mr. Freeze did just that. He told her that her behavior had been disgraceful, that she allowed herself to be held back by a man and child, that it would hinder her in the business world. He gave her the option to leave them and get a promotion or stay and be fired. She did something that didn’t sit well with our boss.

“She quit.”

The air around the two shifted, and Vegeta took the opportunity to make a move. He managed to get up off the ground, but Zarbon was prepared and smashed Vegeta’s body into the corner of the building. “Now, don’t be rude, boy. After all, you were the one who wanted to hear what happened to them, and I plan to oblige.

“Now, she went off to do great things in another company. She was happy and successful while still keeping her small family together. She was not suffering as she deserved to be for her betrayal. Mr. Freeze asked that I talk to her, so I showed up in her office and gave her the offer to come back. She rejected it, and me.

“I honestly didn’t want to do what Frieza asked if she refused. You see, she was scheduled to fly out of town with her husband that night, and Mr. Freeze wanted to make sure she learned the true consequences of her actions. He demanded I set a bomb and sneak it into her bag set to go off while they were in the air. There would have been no survivors. I couldn’t do that to her.”

Vegeta growled, but he couldn’t shake Zarbon off of him. The man’s grip tightened on him, and Vegeta could feel the corner of the building cut into his skin. “I desperately tried to make her reconsider, even went so far as to tell her my feelings. I’m sure you can already tell I was rejected by the bitch, but the news she gave me was too much to bear.”

“What news?” Vegeta grunted, surprised he could even get the words out. Zarbon didn’t answer right away, so Vegeta managed to turn his head to see Zarbon, but scratched his head against the brick. “What are you—”

Vegeta nearly gagged as the top of a bottle was jammed so far down his throat, that he had no choice but to swallow the burning contents. So, this was Zarbon’s plan all along, to force him to drink and then what?

“You see,” Zarbon continued so eloquently as if he wasn’t forcing a ton of alcohol down Vegeta’s throat, “she informed me that she was happy and in love, that she was having another child, and that she wouldn’t trade her life to return to Frieza. I was so distraught and enraged that I did as Frieza asked and left knowing that it would be the last time I’d see the woman I loved.”

 _Bullshit!_ Vegeta wanted to shout since Zarbon clearly didn’t love his mother, but he couldn’t speak. He was already starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, though he did hear something about his mother having another child. Did that mean that he not only lost his father and mother, but a baby brother or sister too? Vegeta shook his head, tried not to focus on that while he attempted to get away from Zarbon. Whatever the bastard gave him was too strong. If he couldn’t get away, he was sure he’d be so sick and out of it, he’d be in danger.

“Stop fighting and just accept your fate,” Zarbon demanded. “This is Everclear, 95% alcohol, and, in a few minutes, you’ll have consumed the entire bottle. Do you want to know the best part?” Vegeta grunted against the bottle and tried to get away from Zarbon again. He pushed with what was left of his might, but he couldn’t get the other man away from him. He gathered what Zarbon was trying to say. This asshole was trying to kill him in the most inhumane, ironic way ever.

He was trying to poison him with the alcohol he had used to combat his pain.

“The best part is that no one will ever think Mr. Freeze had anything to do with this. I’ll just leave you right here once you pass out. I can already feel you getting limp in my arms. Once you’re fully out, I’ll make it look like you were holding the bottle and that you collapsed. By the time anyone finds you, it’ll be too late to get you help. You won’t survive this, and you get to die knowing how your parents and sibling were killed and that you’ll never get a chance to propose to the woman you love. But don’t worry, she’ll be joining you in the next couple of weeks, and during that time she’ll think you were so miserable that you drank yourself to death. Poetic justice considering how your mother betrayed me.”

Vegeta was borderline unconscious now, his mind still trying to fight the effects of what was happening to him. He didn’t want this for Bulma. He didn’t want her to think what Zarbon said she would, but he knew it was a possibility. She had seen him at his worse. What if she believed he relapsed? If he died, and she figured out that he hadn’t been drinking, she’d then feel so guilty and blame herself for this mess forever. Maybe it would be better if she remembered him as a worthless drunk.

Or he could keep fighting despite the fact that everything went dark. Vegeta could only hear the sound of sickening laughter surround him. He needed to survive, but he just felt so tired. He was trying to fight to keep himself awake, but after a while, he figured a small rest wouldn’t kill him. At that, he heard nothing but silence.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Bulma was relieved when she heard the phone ring. She nearly tackled Kakarot on his way over to the device and answered it quicker than anyone expected. “Vegeta?”

 _“It’s Bardock,”_ she heard the officer say. His voice sounded less excited that his already deadpanned tone. _“You need to get down to the hospital now.”_

Her heart stopped in her chest. “Hospital?” Bulma questioned. She was so paralyzed in that moment that Nappa took the phone out of her hand.

“What’s going on?” the concerned guardian asked.

_“Am I speaking French? Get down here. Now.”_

The line went dead, and everyone was frozen.

Bulma was the first one out the door.

* * *

Bardock couldn’t believe what he found. Firstly, he was shocked to see Vegeta passed out on the sidewalk and quickly pulled over to make sure he was okay. He saw the bottle, but he could tell at a glance that Vegeta had been battered around. Knowing Frieza like he and his team did, he knew that there was a strong possibility that this was the bastard’s handiwork.

He called it in and the ambulance got there quickly. The idiotic drivers were convinced that the victim had done this to himself, evident by the empty bottle of liquor he had clutched in his hand. The officer hoped that an experienced doctor would see the signs of battery. The bruises on his wrists and the cuts on his head already had Bardock convinced.

“He seems to have a lot of bruising,” the doctor said after examining him under his robe. The nurses who changed Vegeta alerted Bardock to the bruising. “It looks like he was being held down. His teeth also looked slightly chipped in places, almost as if they scraped against the bottle. I know what the orderlies said, but it’s possible someone forced the alcohol down his throat.”

“Will he recover?” Bardock asked without giving off any emotion.

“Well, we’re getting the alcohol out of his system with the pump,” the doctor explained, “and we’ll give him fluids, but he’s already slipped into a coma. Even if we keep fighting, he needs to as well.”

“Just get that shit out of him,” Bardock growled in disgust. “What are the chances he’ll make a full recovery?”

“It’s possible,” the doctor replied. “I wish I could give better news, but for now it’s a waiting game. I’ll document all of my findings. If you find the guy who did this, you’ll be able to charge him.”

 _Yeah, with assault and attempted murder,_ Bardock thought wryly. Truthfully, the cop was very disconnected to Vegeta, but he knew that both of his sons treasured him as a friend. They would be devastated if anything happened to him, and the Briefs girl would be even worse off. There were no signs that Vegeta did this to himself, and Bulma was the one they were after. The officer had no doubt that the girl would forever blame herself if Vegeta didn’t recover. If he didn’t recover and tell them who did this, it was likely they would never be able to find the culprit and Bulma would still be at risk and emotionally vulnerable.

Speaking of whom…

Bulma ran into the room breathing heavily. As her sight caught Vegeta, Bardock never thought he’d seen anything so heart wrenching since he had seen his late wife, Gine, dead. The girl slowly walked over to her unconscious boyfriend and fell on her knees at the side of the bed. Bardock had to leave the room as she started sobbing and wailing in distress. She held Vegeta’s hand and cried into the bedsheets.

As he shut the door, he saw Nappa, his sons, and their girlfriends all looking at him with questioning and terrified eyes. “Is…” Kakarot started to ask. “Is he going to make it?”

Bardock wanted so badly to say ‘yes’ to his optimistic son. Instead, he settled for, “That is entirely up to him, at this point.”

“What happened?” Nappa questioned calmly, though Bardock could hear the strain of his voice. He knew that Nappa was just as terrified to lose the boy he saw as his son.

“Whoever Frieza sent after him forced the kid to ingest an entire bottle of Everclear. He’s lucky I just found him unconscious. It could have been much worse.”

“What’s his condition?” Katie asked, knowing that Nappa probably wasn’t thinking straight at the moment.

Bardock frowned, hoping no one would ask until the doctor returned. “He had a lot of bruising, some scrapes on his head, and some chipping in the teeth,” Bardock explained. He heaved a heavy sigh before he added, “He’s also in a coma.”

* * *

Bulma’s tears soaked the bed, but she didn’t care. She had been so worried about him, and rightly so. When she asked for his room, the staff had been insensitive and told her, “Some idiot nearly drank himself to death.” They looked at her with judgement and pity, but Bulma didn’t care. She knew for a fact that Vegeta would never do this to himself, no matter how much pain he felt.

They had been happy. She had never seen him as happy. He went weeks without a drink, and even Yamcha stopped being worried about him. Vegeta never went to the bar. If they got food from there, he and Bulma would walk there to pick it up, but Vegeta would stay outside. One time, while at Rodney’s barbequing party, Vegeta asked Yamcha to keep his beer away from him because the smell made him feel ill. This was not Vegeta’s fault. Something else happened.

When she saw the bruising on his wrists, she knew. Someone attacked him, and it was all her fault. At first, she thought she was doing the right thing in continuing her father’s research, but now she wasn’t so sure. As she looked at Vegeta lying in the bed, motionless with a tube down his throat, it made her heart break. She didn’t want to lose him. After losing her parents, she couldn’t lose him too.

Silently, she prayed, prayed that he would make it through. It seemed to work the last time she did. She didn’t notice the others or the doctor enter as she sobbed out, “I’m sorry,” and, “This is all my fault.” Nappa walked over to the girl and yanked her into a hug. Bulma sobbed against Vegeta’s guardian while he hugged her tightly.

“Shut up,” he murmured in her ear. “Vegeta wouldn’t want you saying that. You’ll be in for an earful when he wakes up.”

Bulma laughed slightly through her tears. She needed to hear some positivity. It was then she noticed the doctor and saw his sorrowful expression. He smiled sheepishly at her, though, and said, “He was very lucky, all things considered. Sometimes people aren’t found until the next day. He has a better chance of getting through this than most.”

“He didn’t do this to himself,” Bulma stated, as if she thought the doctor was against her lover too. She didn’t want anyone to believe Vegeta did something so horrible.

“I know, Ms. Briefs,” he assured her. “There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that not only was it forced on him, but that he tried to fight off whoever did this to him. You should be proud of him for that.”

The doctor began to walk away, but he turned back and said, “I’ll have his belongings brought to you. Officer Son already got what he needed from them.”

“Thank you,” Bulma said weakly before she returned to Vegeta’s side. She still couldn’t believe how lifeless he looked. He was always quiet, but he was looser and livelier when with her or his friends and guardian. He got better with showing his emotions. Now, his being so unmoving didn’t sit well with her. She wanted him to wake up and tease her for crying. She wanted to see him walking around and acting like he was okay to be out of bed. Anything but what she was seeing now.

“He’s going to be okay,” she heard Kakarot say, no doubt in his voice. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “He’s a tough guy.”

“I know,” Bulma answered, though she still sounded so defeated. “Chi-Chi?”

Her best friend was at her side in an instant. “What do you need?”

“Tell the others at the office what happened,” Bulma stated. “Let them know to keep their families close in case Frieza tries to go after them. Tell the news station to stop discussing the gravity simulator on television. I don’t want to give Frieza any reminder of why he’s so pissed at me. Also, I’m not going in tomorrow. I’ll need you to handle the paperwork to shut down the weapons division.”

“Sure,” Chi-Chi agreed as she sat in the chair next to her friend. “Anything else you need? Something to eat? Clothes? Blanket?”

“No food right now,” Bulma answered. “I guess the rest is okay.”

“Bulma, you need to ea—”

Bulma turned and snapped at her friend. “I need a lot of things right now! Eating isn’t one of them!” Her words and tone registered, and the tears returned to her. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that…”

“I know,” Chi-Chi said. She hugged her friend. “I know. This isn’t what you needed on top of everything, but Vegeta is going to be okay. He wouldn’t want you starving yourself.”

“She’s dealing with the shock,” Nappa explained. “Her stomach probably can’t handle food right now. I can go grab you a coffee from the café if you want.”

“Sure,” Bulma agreed. “I’ll agree to that much.”

“You got it, girlie,” the guardian said fondly before he cast a concerned glance towards Vegeta. He still couldn’t believe it, and he was out for blood, but he knew that he needed to be calm right now for Bulma. One of them had to be levelheaded, and right now it wasn’t her. So for now, instead of focusing on Vegeta’s condition, he was going to focus on taking care of Bulma. After all, he knew Vegeta was planning to propose to her, and then she’d be his daughter. It was the least he could do for Vegeta—making sure the woman he loved was okay and taking care of herself.

Eventually Vegeta would be awake and take over that role. Nappa had to believe that for his own sanity.

* * *

It was getting later at the hospital, when visiting hours would be over, but Bulma did not want to leave Vegeta’s side. It took a lot of convincing from both Chi-Chi _and_ Katie to get her to use the bathroom. Bulma was adamant about keeping vigil, and no one could pull her away. The doctor accepted this and agreed to have a cot brought in so she could stay there for the night. Bardock would also stay there outside the room, and Krillin and Tien would go with the others back to their apartments. Nappa agreed to have Chi-Chi stay at Vegeta’s and help him pack a change of clothes for Bulma the following day. Launch would relieve Bardock of duty, and Tien would accompany Nappa to the hospital the following morning. Everything was set up so perfectly.

Once alone, the doctor and his staff returned and were able to remove the tube now that the alcohol had been fully removed. Vegeta was then hooked up to an IV to received fluids and nutrients to combat the damage. Still, Vegeta had to fight his way back.

The doctor had the cot brought into the room and had it placed close to Vegeta’s bed. From what he gathered, Bulma was really distraught by the whole thing. Everyone knew what the girl had been through in the one year alone. Having a wife and daughter himself, the doctor empathized with her and wanted to make this as easy for her as possible. Besides, it was possible her presence would have a positive effect on Vegeta’s condition. Only time would tell.

He didn’t say much when he handed her Vegeta’s clothes, and she instantly put on his jacket and hugged herself. The doctor could tell she loved his patient without even knowing much about their relationship. “If you need anything,” he said before leaving, “let me know. There’s a call button by the bed, and my cell number is written on the whiteboard for after hours. The nurses should be able to help you, too.”

“Thank you,” Bulma found herself saying for about the hundredth time that night. “Will he really be okay?”

The doctor knew what the odds were, but he also knew the strength of a patient’s resolve. He had seen many miracles take place before, and he prayed this would be no different. “If he has you to come back to, I’m sure he will.” He left her alone with that glimmer of hope. Despite the odds, he really did have no doubt that Vegeta would make a full recovery.

* * *

Later, Bulma lied near Vegeta and wrapped his limp arm around her body. She shook slightly as silent sobs started to wrack her body. “I know you wouldn’t want me blaming myself,” she said softly, “but I just can’t help it. You were doing fine until you met me, and now you’re hurt only because you’ve helped me and took me in. I’m so lucky to have ever met you, but at what cost? Now you’re here. What am I supposed to do if you don’t wake up, hm? How do you expect me to move on when you couldn’t even…” She stopped there, not needing to attack the unconscious man. Instead, she moved closer into him and squeezed his hand. At least he still felt warm and not cold. That and his breathing and heartbeat reminded her that he was still fighting, and the doctor’s words from earlier helped a bit as well. She didn’t know what the odds were. The doctor refrained from giving her numbers, but he gave her hope instead.

As she readjusted herself under his arm, she felt something in the pocket of his jacket jab her in the side. Bulma reached in and pulled out a velvet box. She looked at the box in confusion, not sure if the cube was real or not. It had been a long day, and she was very out of it, but everything left in her rational mind screamed that she was in fact seeing what she thought.

When Bulma opened the box, her heart beat very quickly, and another wave of tears accosted her. In the box was a beautiful golden band with a princess cut diamond surrounded by blue sapphires. She didn’t need to be a genius to understand what she had in front of her. She shook her head as the guilt consumed her and the need for Vegeta to be awake grew.

Vegeta got her an engagement ring. He had been planning to propose to her.

“You stupid idiot,” she muttered as she closed the box and buried her face against his body. “Why didn’t you wait? You could have been safe in the fire station waiting for Krillin and then gone off to get the ring. You could have been safe. I could have waited. I’m not nearly as important as your life. Damn it, Vegeta.”

She weakly hit his shoulder with her loosened fist and begged for Vegeta to wake up and respond to her. This wasn’t fair. Not any of it. It wasn’t fair when the idiots who worked for Capsule destroyed her home. It wasn’t fair that her parents were gone. It wasn’t fair to either her or Vegeta that Vegeta could only save her. And it most definitely wasn’t fair that some asshole decided to interfere with their happiness.

* * *

Nappa found Bulma passed out holding onto Vegeta for dear life when he returned the next morning. The officer with him looked at the girl with pity and then left to wait outside the room and relieve Launch of duty. The guardian saw the velvet box in Bulma’s hand and realized that she knew what Vegeta had been planning. He knew there wasn’t much he could say to comfort Bulma or explain why Vegeta risked going to jewelry store without protection. He also couldn’t explain why this Frieza person chose that particular moment to strike. He was reminded that the creeps had been stalking all of them. God, he hoped that Bardock and his team would find the bastard who did this. These kids needed justice.

Bulma’s eyes fluttered open and she started to stir. She realized that she must have cried herself to sleep. “Hey, girlie,” she heard Nappa’s soft voice say, “how are you holding up this morning?”

“Did you know?” Bulma asked him, ignoring his question.

Nappa knew what she was asking of him, and he felt obliged to tell her. It wouldn’t make everything better, but she had to know what Vegeta felt. “He asked me earlier in the week if I thought it’d be too soon to ask,” he started. “I asked him where he was and where he thought you were, and he told me he didn’t want to live life without you in it. He also said you told him you loved him, and I told him that was his answer. Sometimes social conventions are just stupid. They’re supposed to guide people to figure out who they want to be with, but sometimes you just know despite all of the rigmarole. Relationships aren’t always conventional, but if it’s right, it’s right, and no one can tell you you’re wrong.”

Bulma, by this point, couldn’t produce tears, but her heart still ached for Vegeta. She felt how he felt, and she had known that for a while. Nothing really needed to be said between them. They just were. Most of their relationship had been founded on silence, anyway. It wasn’t conventional, but she hadn’t cared either. She was already planning on getting a house where the two of them could live and maybe one day start a family.

It could and would still happen, but he needed to wake up first.

She looked back to the bed, still weighed down by her stress and guilt, but she was still hopeful. This wouldn’t be the end for them, not when she held a symbol of their future in her hands. She would be there every day and she would wait for him to wake up. She’d still work and do what she needed. After all, Vegeta would be sure to bitch at her for sitting at his bedside 24/7. She knew what she needed to do, but she still had the rest of the day to start.

“Actually, Nappa…I’m a little hungry,” she told him. “Mind getting us something while I get changed.”

Nappa smirked at the girl, relieved that she wasn’t going to let herself waste away. “Not a problem, girlie. I’ll be back.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters. I also don’t own the song “Bonfire Heart” by James Blunt. I did buy it on the iTunes though :D Support the artist!

It was really hard for those who cared for Vegeta in the weeks following his admittance. The police made a public report, for someone leaked information out to the press about Bulma dating a worthless drunk. Bulma had been so emotional about the whole ordeal that Kakarot had to convince her not to put herself in the spotlight. He asked his father to inform the people about the situation. Eventually the press backed off and apologized for their slanderous remarks. Now, they just wanted to know who had done this horrible deed. Bardock could not lead onto their suspicions and just said that it was an ongoing investigation.

Capsule Corp. was flourishing, even though weeks before they were finally rid of the weaponry division. Some of the old timers kept certain prototype weapons on site in order to protect themselves lest Frieza attempt to send anyone to attack. Everyone was paranoid, and no one could blame them. Bulma allowed it, but she said once Vegeta awoke to confirm his attacker, they would no longer be authorized to carry those weapons and they’d be dismantled.

Bulma did everything in her power to remain positive. She would go to the hospital every day and stay every night, sometimes even brought her computer to get work done. She’d talk to Vegeta, tell him about her day for she knew the questions he’d ask her when he was awake. Sometimes she’d play music from her laptop, and at times she’d sing, although that was getting harder because every song reminded her about their relationship.

There were times Chi-Chi would try to convince her to leave, and it annoyed Bulma no matter how many good intentions her friend had. Nappa eventually spoke to Chi-Chi and explained that Bulma needed to be there. No one could understand just how much someone loved another. He never really found that someone special in his life, but he watched the magic unfold when his friend met Vegeta’s mother. To separate them would be wrong. The same applied to Bulma and Vegeta. In a way, he found the love they shared outshone his old friend’s romance. It was bittersweet considering he hated to watch both his ‘son’ and ‘daughter-in-law’ suffer. He would be relieved when Vegeta finally awoke.

But of course, there had to be some drama.

* * *

Bulma was at work one day when Rodney decided to visit Vegeta. Nappa had been thankful he arrived there before his boss because he overheard Rodney snap at the doctors and ask why they were keeping Vegeta hooked up to a feeding tube and other lifesaving machines. He overheard the man shout how Vegeta wouldn’t want to be hooked up to the machines, and that’s when Nappa’s rage finally broke out.

Instantly, he was in the room and told the doctors not to listen to Rodney, that he and Bulma were Vegeta’s healthcare proxies. The doctor left the room with his staff as Nappa and Rodney fought over this.

“You cannot be serious!” Nappa shouted at his boss. “After how much you know about Vegeta and his son, what made you think he’d want you to get involved and take him off the machines?”

“I know that Vegeta wouldn’t want to spend his life wasting away into nothing and be a vegetable!” Rodney argued. “I assumed the same for his son!”

“He still has brainwaves,” Nappa growled. “He is, by no means, down for the count. If things turn south, don’t you think I’d make the right choice? It’s not _your_ call to make. Obviously Vegeta knew you wouldn’t be good for his kid!”

“Well, you’re not doing a very good job either!” Rodney attacked. He motioned to the bed and shouted, “Look at where he is now! This is where your parenting got him!”

“Shut up!” Both Nappa and Rodney clamped their mouths shut when the heard Bulma shout in exasperated anger over them. They looked over to see the haggard woman breathing heavy and crying. “Just shut up…”

Nappa felt awful. He hadn’t been paying attention to the time, so he didn’t know she’d be there to witness the argument. Launch entered the room and snapped at Bulma. “The fuck was that, girl? You don’t run out of my sight, got that? That Frieza bastard is still out there.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Bulma replied monotonously. “I really don’t fucking care. You are not touching those machines.” Her line of sight cut over to Rodney, and he could almost feel the girl’s hatred for him at that moment. “You may have known Vegeta’s father, but you clearly don’t know a damn thing about Vegeta. He is a fighter, and he would be appalled at the fact that someone was giving up on him when he clearly hasn’t given up yet. You don’t have the right to make that call, so just shut up.”

“Miss,” Rodney whispered cautiously, “I know you’re upset, but you don’t need to use profanity to get the point across. I understand—”

“You understand nothing,” Bulma hissed. “You don’t know anything about him. Tell me, when you first heard the reporters say he did this to himself, did you believe it? I didn’t. I knew from the second I got the call that someone else did this to him. Even Nappa thought that, and Officer Bardock who knew nothing about Vegeta to begin with.”

“I did think he did,” Rodney admitted reluctantly, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t care abo—”

“Bullshit,” Bulma said cutting him off. “Get the hell out of this room, now. Vegeta may have been accepting of you in his life because of his dad, but I sure as hell don’t need your negativity right now. Leave.”

Nappa looked over to Rodney and saw how bad the man felt for upsetting Bulma. He began to walk out of the room but stopped next to Bulma. “I was only trying to do what’s right.” And then he left.

Bulma let out a breath once she heard the door shut before her legs gave out and she crumbled to the floor. Nappa sat down beside her and held her as she cried. Bulma wasn’t even able to speak; she was crying so hard. “Hey, it’s okay,” Nappa told her. “You’re right. Vegeta wouldn’t want us giving up on him.”

“But what if Rodney is right?” Bulma gasped out, letting out the fears she had been ignoring. “What if we’re hurting him more than helping him?”

“If that were the case, he wouldn’t be hanging on,” Nappa answered, trying to reassure her. “The doctor said this morning that he seemed to be getting stronger. Why would he say that if it wasn’t true? It’s not like Vegeta is on a respirator. He’s breathing on his own. His heartbeat is still strong. He just needs help with the water and nutrients. That’s it. His condition is much better than most who purposefully drink themselves this badly. Vegeta’s not giving up, and we won’t either.”

“I didn’t mean to be rude,” Bulma apologized. “I just couldn’t listen to him say…”

“I know, Bulma,” Nappa cooed, “and Rodney knows, too. Honestly, you talked to him better than Vegeta does at times.”

Bulma released a small laugh. “I bet that’s saying something.”

“Oh, you have no idea. I used to wonder why Rodney never fired his ass.”

Now, Bulma could definitely see that. Of course, no one had known of Rodney’s connection to Vegeta’s father. It made sense why the man kept Vegeta on regardless of his mouth and disrespect. Rodney probably saw him as a younger, rebellious version of his father, the boy he looked after. In some sense, he did care about Vegeta, but he didn’t know Vegeta well enough to make the right calls for him.

“Do you mind if I have some time alone with him?” Bulma asked the guardian.

Nappa smiled warmly and shook his head. “I don’t mind at all, girlie. He’s all yours. I’ll go out and get us some food. What are you in the mood for? Pizza? Burgers?”

“Is sushi too much trouble?” Bulma requested with a small smile.

Nappa laughed. “No trouble at all.”

Bulma waited until she was alone before her smile turned downward and she looked at her comatose boyfriend. It pained her to see him this way, but Nappa was right. Vegeta was doing much better than most comatose patients. She just wanted him to be awake so they could put this whole mess behind them and move forward with their lives.

“So, I had a new idea for a project,” she started to tell her unconscious boyfriend. “It’s not anything big, but I’m going to redesign my dad’s capsule technology to store food and other temperature sensitive items. I think it’ll really help people when buying groceries and such.” She let out a chuckle. “I remember this one time when mom bought like two whole carts of food and the cashier thought she was insane. We had one of her cousins staying with us that time, but after that visit I never saw her again. Mom’s family was weird and flaky. Eh well…”

Bulma moved to take her computer out when she looked at Vegeta’s face. “I found another song I think you might like too. I heard it in the lobby and, I don’t know… It just sounded a lot like us.” She smiled sadly wishing so much that he could talk back. She wondered if he could even hear something like that, anyway.

She hit play on the song and started to sing along. _“Your mouth is a revolver firing bullets in the sky. Your love is like a soldier, loyal ‘til you die. And I’ve been looking at the stars for a long, long time. I’ve been putting out fires all my life. Everybody wants a flame, but they don’t want to get burnt. And today is our time.”_

She looked over to Vegeta, knowing she’d get no reaction, but it really didn’t matter. The song had been playing everywhere, and Bulma could not get it out of her head. Any time she thought of Vegeta, the song came to mind. It was as if it were haunting her, so she knew she had to sing it to him.

_“Days like these lead to…nights like this lead to love like ours. You light the spark in my bonfire heart. People like us, we don’t need that much, just someone that starts the spark in our bonfire hearts.”_

Bulma took Vegeta’s hand in hers and squeezed it. Sometimes she just needed to hold his motionless hand just to feel the warmth since he looked so cold and distant. She had to keep telling herself he was alive and coming back to her. _“The world is getting colder, strangers passing by. No one offers you a shoulder. No one looks you in the eye. But I’ve been looking at you for a long, long time. Just trying to break through, trying to make you mine. Everybody wants a flame, but they don’t want to get burnt. Well, today is our t—_ uhn. _”_

Bulma gasped loudly as she felt Vegeta’s hand twitch in hers. She looked to his face, having been distracted by the song, though his eyes were still closed. She continued to sing, squeezed his hand back every time she felt his twitch. _“Days like this lead to…nights like this lead to love like ours. You light the spark in my bonfire heart.”_ She nearly jumped for joy when she felt Vegeta actually squeeze her hand. _“People like us, we don’t need that much, just someone that starts the spark in our bonfire hearts, our bonfire hearts.”_

When she finished the song, she was staring at Vegeta who was staring back at her, confused and wide-eyed. She quickly rang for the nurses, but she knew it would take some time for them to get there. “Hey,” she said quietly. “How are you feeling?”

Vegeta was still in shock. He woke up to the sound of Bulma singing, but he didn’t recognize his surroundings, and he also felt really lightheaded as he sat up. He expected to wake up in their bed when he heard her, but he didn’t remember ever going home. Instantly, everything that happened hit him hard. He remembered the jewelry store and seeing the bastard who worked for Frieza. He remembered the confession, how Zarbon murdered his parents and unborn sibling. Then he remembered the struggle and the feel of alcohol burning his throat. “Shit,” Vegeta rasped, his voice weak from disuse.

His reaction panicked Bulma and she moved to sit by him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him as if she were his safety raft. “You’re okay, Vegeta,” she assured him. “Thank God you’re awake.”

“How long was I out?” Vegeta asked quietly, still disoriented by the whole experience.

Bulma sucked in a breath, hesitating. “Three weeks,” she informed him as she let it sink in.

“Holy shit,” he cursed under his breath before he faced Bulma. She looked fearful and guilty. “I’m fine, Bulma.”

That was all she needed to hear, the confirmation that he was okay. She had been longing to hear his voice, feel his touch. She gently cupped his face and began to plant butterfly kisses everywhere. Relief didn’t even begin to describe what she felt when his hands slid down her arms and he met her lips with his own. This time, tears of joy slid down Bulma’s face and in that moment, everything was so much better.

Vegeta pulled away first, needing to catch his breath. That was around the time the nurses and doctors entered the room and realized that their patient was awake. The doctor sent a nurse to go find Nappa to let him know that his son was awake. Rodney was still at the hospital and overheard the nurse inform Nappa as he returned with food. He watched them run upstairs and released a chuckle as a tear escaped him.

“What do you know?” he voiced to no one in particular. “Once again they proved me wrong.” He decided to leave the hospital, for it was enough to know that Vegeta was alive and awake. Everything else would fall into place.

* * *

Kakarot was playing a video game with Raditz while Chi-Chi and Katie were talking in the kitchen. Bardock watched the two boys and shook his head. Despite their age, they still sometimes acted like children. Still, he realized that he missed a lot of time with them, too much time. All because he was fearful they’d be hurt like he had been when his wife passed away.

It was unfair to his boys, all the pressure he put on them. After being able to spend time with them through work, he realized that he was wrong. He shouldn’t have placed his fears on them. They had also lost someone. They lost her mother. They lost him, too. The brothers had to grow up and figure stuff out for themselves because one parent was gone and the other had his head up his ass. Bardock chuckled at the thought and shook his head. It may not have been perfect, but at least he was there somewhat. Their girlfriends weren’t half bad either.

Kakarot’s phone rang and he used one hand to answer it. “Yeah?” he spoke into the receiver before he jumped and grew shocked. He paused the game which caught Raditz’s attention. “Are you serious?” he shouted. “That’s great! We’ll be right over!”

His phone was nearly thrown down to the ground when he stood up. “Guys,” he yelled happily, “we gotta get to the hospital. Vegeta’s awake!”

Raditz’s eyes widened and he too was up almost instantly. “What are we waiting for? Let’s—”

“Wait,” Bardock stated stealing everyone’s attention. “I know you, boy. You’re going to race there. You four pile in my car. I’ll get you there fast.”

Both boys grinned at their dad. “Thanks, old man,” Raditz replied. It was strange for either of the Sons to accept their father back into their lives, but over the last couple of months, and especially over the last few weeks, he had been trying and they felt they needed to meet him halfway.

“Shotgun!” Kakarot shouted as everyone left the apartment.

The two girls exchanged smiles and shook their head. “Men,” Katie teased.

“Tell me about it,” Chi-Chi returned, though she too felt excited. If Vegeta was awake, she was sure Bulma already knew.

* * *

The rest of the day was like a whirlwind. The doctor said Vegeta was doing really well, especially with the fact that it had been almost three weeks since he was out. They were able to get him up and moving and started him on some light food. His friends all showed up once they heard the news, and they caught him up on the events of the last three weeks. Vegeta had never seen a group so happy in his life, and he realized just how important he was to them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all happiness and rainbows, for Bardock had to do his job. He questioned Vegeta about the attack, and everyone ended up as shocked as Vegeta had been. “It was that Zarbon freak again,” Vegeta admitted, “and other than what he did to me, I think I can help you press charges against both him and Frieza. He admitted to a triple homicide that ended up killing a ton more people.”

“Why would he admit that to you?” Raditz questioned.

Vegeta didn’t answer right away. He looked to Nappa who also seemed confused, but his guardian needed to know what befell his parents. “Apparently that company mom’s family was involved with was Freeze Corp.,” he began. “When they asked her boss to threaten her job, Frieza was the one they went to. He told her she had to leave my father and me, and she ended up quitting, and then went off to get her traveling job. But she was happy, and that didn’t sit well with Frieza. He wanted her to be miserable.”

“Crap,” Nappa growled, his eyes narrowed. “Are you sure about this, son?”

Vegeta grimaced, his face twisted in disgust. “Positive. Zarbon kept going on and on about how he wanted mom for himself and how dad was worthless and didn’t have what he did. Anyway, Frieza demanded that Zarbon plant a bomb in her briefcase to go off at a later time. Zarbon kept saying he didn’t want to and begged her to get with him and leave us, yet again… She denied him and said she was happy and in love and…that she was pregnant.”

Bulma gasped the same time Nappa did. “Oh my God,” the woman murmured as she shook her head. She had never been pregnant herself, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like for someone to knowingly harm a mother and her children.

Vegeta took Bulma’s hand and attempted to keep her comforted though he was raging inside at the moment. “The bastard actually said he loved her, but he couldn’t look past the betrayal, so he planted the fucking thing in her suitcase set to go off when she was in the air. That crash…it was all planned.”

“Son of a bitch,” Bardock growled. He knew Frieza was a bastard, but what he had done was too far even for his liking. The cop asked through gritted teeth, “Anything else?”

Vegeta nodded. “The accident that stopped Officer Krillin from getting to me was also planned. It was one of Freeze Corp.’s employees who fucked up on some deal.”

Bardock let out an angry huff of air. “And Zarbon was definitely the one to force you to drink?”

The twenty-six-year-old nodded again. “Frieza thought it’d be poetic justice considering I used alcohol to cover up my pain from losing my parents. They hoped that either everyone would believe I was some worthless drunk, or that Bulma would figure it out and feel guilty the rest of her life. They also said she’d be joining me in a few weeks.”

“No one is going anywhere without protection,” Bardock ordered. “Not until I get all these charges in. There’s no way, even with all their lawyers, that they’re getting out of this. Your statement confirmed what forensics did. We found one of Zarbon’s hairs on your clothes and a partial print on the bottle. All of you stay in here while I call this in.”

When Bardock left the room, it was silent. No one looked at each other. Everyone was just so stunned. “I just can’t believe how far they’re willing to go to get back at people,” Bulma eventually voiced. She shook her head again. “Vegeta, I’m so—”

“Don’t even think about it,” Vegeta demanded. He looked into her eyes with a serious gaze. “None of this is your fault. Zarbon made it clear he wasn’t very fond of me either. My mother didn’t just choose Dad over him, but her ‘brat’ as well. I swear; I wanted to kill that bastard.”

“No one would have blamed you for that,” Nappa stated. He too was pissed that some guy took the life of his friends and was still running around free. It was bad enough when it was thought to be an accident, but for it to be intentional… Vegeta had been a mess, even up until recently, and now old wounds were reopened with new ones. He had lost both his parents and a potential sibling, and it was all because of the freak who tried to murder him and put him into a coma for almost a month.

“I tried to attack him, but he just took the punches, and then turned around on me and showed that he was far stronger than some ordinary pretty boy,” Vegeta grunted. His pride stung a bit for not being able to do _anything_ to the man. “He started battering me around like I was nothing and then kept telling me all the stuff that happened with Mom. When I asked a question, he shoved the bottle down my fucking throat. I could barely even breathe. I tried to fight him off, but he had me pressed into the corner of a building and I couldn’t move.”

Raditz was angry, but he was sure not as angry as Nappa or Vegeta. What these guys had done was such a low blow, and for what? To go after a girl who denied getting involved with them? Clearly Bulma dodged a bullet after hearing what happened to Vegeta’s mother and their unfortunate employee. The man was about to say something when there was a weak knock on the door and some stranger stuck his head in.

“Um, hi,” the man greeted. Vegeta looked to Nappa and saw recognition in his expression. “Is this a bad time?”

“What are you doing here, Zorn?” Nappa questioned, a little surprised. “I thought your family…”

Zorn glared at a random spot and shook his head. “Don’t mention them,” he pleaded. “I was wondering if I could talk to my nephew.”

Vegeta was a little weirded out. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but aren’t you a little young to be Nappa’s uncle?”

The stranger, Zorn apparently, chuckled. “You have your father’s charm; I’ll give you that.” The man looked over to Vegeta, and Vegeta nearly gasped when he saw the resemblance. “I’m not Nappa’s uncle. I’m yours. Your mother was my older sister.”

* * *

The day went by with so many surprises. Everyone finding out about Vegeta’s family with the appearance of his uncle. Apparently, the man was in the area for a business meeting and saw the news. He recognized Vegeta, not from ever having met him, but from his striking resemblance to his father. He left the group and raced to the hospital. His father called him on the way there to scold him for abandoning his post, but Zorn only hung up on him and continued his way to the hospital.

Nappa explained to Vegeta, because the boy had mixed feelings about his mother’s family especially after hearing what Frieza did, that Zorn was the one relative who supported his mother. Zorn had been a young teenager at the time, and his family threatened his livelihood if he had anything to do with his sister. He snuck out so many times to spend the day with his sister and brother-in-law until his parents caught wind of it.

He learned about Vegeta from his sister e-mailing pictures, and he swore to keep it quiet from the family. His sister reached out to them only to be ignored, so he acted shocked when they told him what Nappa said. He was the only one that flew out for the wake, but stayed in the back, not wanting to upset Vegeta further with a long-lost relative the day he was grieving for his parents. Now, he couldn’t stay away. He was terrified that he would have lost his nephew just as he had his sister. He didn’t care about the business world, as he had been forced into it anyway, just like his older sister. It was one of the reasons why he never revealed Vegeta to his parents. When they asked Nappa to talk to the kid, Zorn was sure they were going to try to do that to the child as well.

The nurse entered and said visiting hours were over, but Vegeta didn’t want the others to go. Nappa assured him they’d be back the next morning, but Vegeta needed to be kept for observation. His guardian also said he’d explain to Zorn what was told to Officer Bardock. Zorn needed to know so that maybe their company could cut ties with Freeze Corp.

Eventually Vegeta and Bulma were alone, with no nurses and no interruptions. The two of them remained quiet as Bulma lied down next to him. Vegeta pulled her close, not wanting to let go. He was sure she probably thought she was dreaming, and he needed to assure her that he truly was fine. It was then he saw the velvet box containing his purchase on a little side table they brought for Bulma. He looked to her and she weakly smiled up at him.

“I was so scared,” she admitted. “I wanted to believe you’d be okay. I prayed so hard every day. I came back today though and found Rodney shouting at Nappa for keeping you hooked up to machines. You were already on a strong path to recovery…I couldn’t even think…but I doubted and I just…”

Bulma started to cry, regret consumed her, but Vegeta was awake now and able to wipe away her tears. “Sh,” he cooed. “None of that, woman. I’m fine. It was just another challenge we got through.”

“I still can’t believe any of this,” she continued. “I mean, what’s the gain from causing people harm? I mean…your mother, what they did… It’s just not fair. How can they decide who lives or dies just because they aren’t happy with their choices?”

“They’re lowlife crooks,” Vegeta growled. “But they aren’t getting away with any of this. Even if no one trusts my word, there is a camera at that corner of the street inside the jewelry store that watches the outside. I’m sure the owner will be cooperative.”

“About that,” Bulma whispered. She sat up, picked up the square box, and placed it between her and Vegeta. “I sort of found that the night you were admitted.”

Vegeta’s heart thumped in his chest before he felt the gut-wrenching feeling of knowing just how much Bulma must have suffered. If the roles had been reversed, he would have made himself sick and wallow in pits of depression that he hadn’t even experienced when he parents were stolen from him. When he took the box from Bulma, he started to say, “My life would be empty, nothing without you. I’ve thought of many things, including you leaving me and, every time I do, I feel like a hollow shell. And that’s just from thinking it. You are the light in my life, Bulma. Had it not been for you…” He thought of the shady bar he entered that one night and shivered in disgust. “I don’t even want to fucking think about where I’d be now.”

Bulma took his hands in hers. “I feel the same way,” she told him. “These last few weeks have been hell. I just wanted to be able to talk to you, to be held by you. I stayed here every night, snuggled up against you all because I couldn’t handle the thought of not being with you. I love you, Vegeta, so much. I feel safe and happy with you, and I was just so scared that I’d never be able to tell you just how much you mean to me and the fact that I wanted a life with you. There’s no one else I ever considered having a future with until I met you. I know we met under the worst circumstances and that we haven’t been together long, but I just…you’re it. You’re the one I want to be with. I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Vegeta’s heart fluttered when he heard her words, and he breathed a sigh of relief before he smirked mildly. That actually made his job a whole lot easier, and he also knew that Nappa was right. Their relationship could have gone on for seven years instead of seven months and they would still want to get married. Vegeta didn’t want to waste any more time. No more grieving; no more wallowing. It was time to move forward, and he was doing that with the woman in front of him who wanted him, too. He opened the box and gently removed the ring. Then, he took her left hand and slid the band on her finger. He didn’t ask the stereotypical words of ‘will you marry me?’ seeing as they both already knew the answer.

Tears of joy streamed down Bulma’s face and she laughed at Vegeta’s concerned and stunned expression. Careful not to hurt him, she jumped on him and kissed him causing him to release both a slight grunt followed by a soft moan against her lips. He kissed her back with equal fervor just loving how it felt to be held so tightly by someone. Both their hands found their way into each other’s hair. Everything about that moment was perfect, and for the moment they were happy.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

The weeks after Vegeta awoke from his coma were crazy. Charges had been filed against both Zarbon and Frieza. It was unfortunate that the two men seemed to disappear since the news of Vegeta waking hit the streets. Most of the public were saying ‘good riddance’ to the men for what they had done; people believed they’d never return. That was complete and utter crap considering how Frieza operated. They would be back with a vengeance.

More of the force were involved in protecting the Capsule Corp. workers, but Bardock and his small band continued to look after Bulma and those in her inner circle. In addition, Zorn decided to stick around for a while, and also explained to his parents about what he learned regarding Freeze Corp. His parents were unsure if they believed him, but Zorn knew exactly what to say. He would quit the company if his parents didn’t cut ties with Freeze Corp. They decided not to heed his warning, so he followed through with his promise. Now, Zorn worked at Capsule Corp. and also looked after his future niece.

Vegeta didn’t really know how he felt about Zorn. He felt as though he kept learning about all these different relatives…his mother’s family interfering with his parents’ relationship, Rodney being his father’s guardian, and now he had an uncle. Not to mention he was still trying to make sense of the fact that Frieza and Zarbon were the ones to kill his parents and sibling…yet another relative he hadn’t even known existed.

Despite all of this, Vegeta didn’t once think about hitting the bottle. Truthfully, the stuff had already been starting to make him sick. He probably made a mental association with alcohol and the woman at the bar. She made him feel worse that night, and now the alcohol did too. If anyone had to question, Vegeta also associated alcohol with Zarbon and the substance being forced down his throat. He would _never_ go back to alcohol after this. Seeing Bulma’s crestfallen face every time his coma was mentioned was enough to make him want to find Zarbon and end his miserable life…like he needed any _more_ reason to kill the bastard.

Although he wanted to, he knew to let his friends’ father do his job. It was bad enough Zarbon caught him off-guard, and Vegeta was hardly able to do anything. Against his doctor’s wishes, Vegeta decided to use the weight room at work until he built up his strength again. He would make sure not to let Zarbon get the best of him again.

“You know you’re supposed to be resting.”

Vegeta sat up and saw Raditz standing there, although his expression told Vegeta that he wasn’t going to give him a hard time. “If it was your girlfriend in danger, you’d be doing this too.”

“No doubt,” Raditz agreed before he moved above him. “Need a spotter?”

“Yeah, sure,” Vegeta replied. “Why not?”

Raditz saw Vegeta go into the room alone. He entered because he was worried about his friend. He didn’t want anything else to happen to him. Knowing Vegeta, he would overdo it, and talking him out of something was near possible, especially when someone he cared about was in danger. “So,” Raditz started in attempts to make conversation, “I hear you’re on paperwork now.”

Vegeta scoffed and then grunted as he raised the dumbbell in the air. The firefighter ignored the pain that shot through his muscles. It irritated him that this had been his warmup not too long ago. “Yeah, Nappa and I switched places,” he grumbled. “He and Rodney came to an agreement about me continuing to work. I think this Nappa’s way of getting payback since I wouldn’t let him do shit when he was injured.”

Raditz couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds about right,” he teased. “Don’t worry; you’ll be better before you know it.”

Vegeta nearly dropped the dumbbell and was thankful that Raditz decided to spot him. The older man instantly grabbed the stupid thing and got it away from him. Quickly Vegeta had sat up, angered by his own weakness. “This is bullshit,” he hissed.

Raditz secured the weight, and then sighed and sat down next to the twenty-six-year-old. “Vegeta, you were incapacitated for almost a month,” he reminded him. “It’s going to take a while before you’re a hundred percent. You need to take it easy. I’m not saying don’t try to work your way back up but start with less weight or something.”

“I don’t have time for that!” Vegeta shouted at him. Raditz was stunned by the intensity of Vegeta’s gaze. It was the first time in a long time that he ever saw fear in his friend’s eyes. This was serious. “Frieza and the asshole that murdered my family are still out there, and they plan to go after my fiancé. I couldn’t do shit to the pretty boy. I need to get stronger than I was.”

“Maybe not,” Raditz remarked earning him a glare. “Just listen, Vegeta. Zarbon’s punches, did they hurt?”

Vegeta was about to snap at Raditz again, but then he thought about it. The physical punch wasn’t painful. Most of his injuries were sustained from either _where_ he was hit or how Zarbon got a grip on him and forced him to the ground or pressed him against the building’s corner. It had nothing to do with strength. “No…”

“He used skills that probably none of us but my father has,” Raditz stated. “Maybe lifting weights isn’t what you need right now. Maybe you need martial arts lessons. Dad said he learned from our grandfather.”

“Do you honestly think that while Frieza is still out there your father has any time to train me?” Vegeta questioned to prove a point. “We don’t have time for this.”

“And you don’t have time for this either,” his friend responded as he motioned to the weight room. “This is your best option. Even if you just learn enough to evade, that will be a big help. Maybe Bulma, too. If it helps to keep you safe…”

Vegeta considered the possibilities and realized that Raditz made a very strong argument. It would be for the best if they all learned some of these skills. “If Bulma and I have to suffer through this, you and Kakarot will be joining us. Chi-Chi and Katie, too. Even Nappa. I don’t trust those freaks. If this is what it takes to keep us all safe…”

“I’ll let my dad know,” Raditz assured him. “Until then, you better get to work on the paperwork. Rodney will be looking for you.”

“Perfect,” Vegeta grumbled, still sour about his boss and the fact that he upset Bulma. He definitely didn’t need to interact with him that day.

“Vegeta!”

“Shit,” he muttered. Well, he spoke too soon.

* * *

Vegeta was irritated when Rodney scolded him for abandoning his post. Of course, Rodney had no idea what was going on. He never knew what was going on. Vegeta decided to change that.

“Oh, shut the fuck up!” he snapped as he slammed his hands down on the desk as Rodney berated him.

The whole station went dead silent as everyone looked towards Vegeta and Rodney. Everyone was expecting Vegeta to be fired in that moment, but Rodney just stared at the boy with a disproving glare and then suggested they talk in his office. Still, people were expecting Vegeta to be let go.

“I know you and I don’t see eye to eye,” Rodney started once his door was closed and he was seated, “but do _not_ disrespect me in front of my employees ever again.”

“And if I’m ever in a fucking coma again, don’t fight with the doctors,” Vegeta retorted angrily. “And if you ever tell Bulma that you were trying to ‘do the right thing’ again, especially when she’s already upset enough, I will make your life miserable and talk to you however I damn well please, got it?”

Rodney was a little stunned that Bulma told Vegeta what happened, but then he realized it shouldn’t be all that surprising. “I was trying to make a good decision for you. Neither she nor Nappa were thinking clearly.”

“You don’t know Bulma,” Vegeta growled. “She was perfectly lucid through everything. You have no idea what kind of pain she was dealing with. As for Nappa, he _was_ thinking clearly. He was doing what I would have wanted. He knows what I want. If I was a vegetable, yes, take me off the machines, but there was still a chance…and here I am. I’m thankful my father put me in Nappa’s care, because he’s the one I trust to make life changing decisions for me. Don’t _ever_ undermine him again.”

“I don’t undermin—”

“I’ve heard the crap you’ve said,” Vegeta hissed. “You’ve said multiple times that my father made the wrong decision, that Nappa did such a horrible job with me. You know next to nothing about me or my relationship with Nappa. You don’t know what he helped me through. Stop trying to insert yourself into my life just because you were my father’s guardian!”

Vegeta stood up and was about to leave the office but he stopped once his hand touched the doorknob. “I was at the jewelry store to buy an engagement ring. Bulma found it in my jacket that night. She _knew_ that Frieza sent someone to attack me and was blaming herself while knowing I wanted to make a future with her. And yet she was still able to work on barely any sleep because she was staying with me every night. How’s that for thinking clearly?”

The youth left the office and slammed the door shut behind him while Rodney stared at his door in shock. Many things stunned the man into silence…mainly that Vegeta was planning to propose to Bulma the night he got attacked. It also amazed him just how resilient Bulma was under pressure. She suffered much more than Rodney had known. Now he could understand why she was so hateful towards him. She clearly loved Vegeta more than anything else, and to think that she took the blame for what happened to him… He owed her and Vegeta an apology.

* * *

Bardock was willing to teach them all some martial arts moves. It was a start to their training, training to prepare for Frieza and his right-hand man. Even Zorn decided to attend the sessions with them.

They were brought to a gym. Mats lined the floor and walls. Bardock instructed them in basic self-defense moves. Vegeta, Kakarot, and Raditz picked the moves up quickly. Surprisingly, Chi-Chi did too, but only because she had some martial arts experience from when she was a child. She hardly remembered anything, but she remembered enough. Nappa and Zorn did decently, but they were much older and a little slower on grasping the techniques. Katie and Bulma, well, they made progress, but not enough in Bulma’s mind.

Vegeta could see his fiancé’s distress and moved to assist her. Katie went over to Raditz who also decided to help her perfect her form. In the weeks to come, they would all learn how to fight and make changes in their techniques in response to an experienced opponent.

But for now, Bulma was upset and Vegeta moved to comfort her. He embraced her from behind which instantly made her relax. He gently moved her arms into the proper form before he let her go and then moved in front of her. He talked her through the steps of pinning him down to the ground until she was able to complete the cycle on her own. He smirked up at her when she grinned proudly. She was getting the hang of it.

There was still no news on Frieza and Zarbon. Usually, no news meant good news. That was not the case now. Eventually, Zorn heard from his parents. They had someone look into deals with Frieza’s company and realized that the deceitful man was siphoning money from their company. Footage from the night Vegeta was attacked was leaked by someone in the police department, so everyone now knew the truth. It caused the family to withdraw from their contract with Frieza, which from past experience meant someone would be in trouble.

The weapons division was one hundred percent annihilated at Capsule Corp. Again, there were still some weapons in the building in case Frieza showed up, but they were nothing that would cause explosions like the weapons tested in Bulma’s old home. Speaking of explosions, Bulma kept thinking back to the explosion that destroyed her family home. After learning what she had about Frieza, she wondered if he caused that as well. She wouldn’t know for sure until she was face to face with him, and that was only _if_ he told her the truth.

In the meantime, everyone continued with the martial arts lessons. Vegeta finally increased the amount of weight he could lift. They were all getting stronger while waiting for an attack. Since an attack didn’t happened within the month, Vegeta and Bulma decided to start planning their wedding. Vegeta didn’t really have much of an opinion. He made it clear to Bulma that they could have their wedding at a dump with her wearing a garbage bag and he would still be happy. Bulma had almost taken it the wrong way, but he clarified that she was beautiful wearing tattered clothes and that he heard trash bags were quite slimming. It caused her to laugh and playfully punch him in the arm. After that, Bulma spent more time planning with Chi-Chi and Katie and would just tell Vegeta what was happening.

It surprised him when Bulma told him she wanted to get married in a church. He had nothing against that, but he was just surprised. She told him once that she wasn’t all that religious, but recently that changed. When he asked what made her change her mind, Bulma changed the subject making him wonder if it had to do with his coma. He would have never known how much he had terrified her the night he went out to get plastered. It didn’t matter what had reaffirmed her faith. Vegeta just wanted her to have everything she wanted. He would agree to it.

He would not, however, agree to the idea of a bachelor party.

“Aw, come on, Vegeta,” Kakarot complained. “We don’t have to go anywhere bad.”

“I said ‘no’, Kakarot,” Vegeta snapped as he ate his lunch. “There is nothing I want to do to relive my ‘single life’. My single life was fucking hell.”

“Then it could just be a night out with friends,” Yamcha suggested having overheard. Vegeta shifted his irritated gaze over to him which made Yamcha cringe. “Um…what?”

“What do _you_ suggest then?” Vegeta replied. Honestly, if he was going to do anything, it would have to be something low key. Kakarot would go all out with it and Raditz…well…Vegeta really didn’t want to go to a strip club. Yamcha had seen Vegeta at his worst, unfortunately. Somehow, the man wormed his way into Vegeta’s life earning him some sort of friendship status. Where Vegeta would never flat out call him a friend, Yamcha did look out for him after his worst night and kept it quiet from Rodney.

Yamcha was stunned that Vegeta asked him something like that. He figured Vegeta would tell him to get lost, but instead he was actually _including_ him. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe catch a ball game or something.”

Vegeta thought about it for a moment. The last game he remembered going to was when he was five and his father and Nappa brought him out for the day. He remembered having a really good time, but it was something else he avoided after his parents died. A small smile appeared on his face. Yeah, he liked the idea. His parents wouldn’t want him to avoid things just because he had memories of them in it. Sure, he’d be a little sad, but it was time to stop avoiding those emotions. “Sure, let’s do that.”

* * *

Bulma basically had everything figured out for the wedding, including the date. It would be at the end of the summer before September began. The only thing left on her to do list was the thing she dreaded.

Chi-Chi didn’t want to throw Bulma a bachelorette party that she wouldn’t enjoy. Traditionally, well…the girls didn’t like to go with the crowd. That meant Bulma needed to think long and hard about what she’d want to do. It needed to be someplace public. Launch needed to be invited considering Frieza and Zarbon were still out there. What would they all enjoy that was public and not in a strip club or bar.

Bulma remembered her mother’s bachelorette party story. She went out with her gardening group almost the entire night while her father was with his engineering buddies. The two groups then met up at a laser tag arena and played a few rounds of the guys versus the girls. She needed to ask Vegeta what he thought. That way, the girls could do anything. Facials, makeovers, shopping…and then they’d all meet up and do something childish yet fun.

She smiled. Vegeta might actually like something like that. He was pretty competitive. She never truly noticed until they were all taking martial arts lessons from Bardock. That was where Vegeta’s competitive side finally revealed itself. She found it cute on him, especially when he had been so guarded and closed off for the majority of his life. It was like Vegeta was finally getting a chance to be a kid now that he was letting go of the pain.

A knock on the door alerted Bulma. It was Launch, obviously, letting Bulma know that they needed to head out to pick up Vegeta at the station. The two of them were going out for dinner that night to her family’s favorite place, just to let her family’s friend know she was getting married and he was invited. It didn’t matter that Frieza was still out there, honestly, because everyone was ready. Eventually, he would fall, and she and Vegeta could live their lives in peace. Their enemies would turn up eventually.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

The end of the summer finally arrived, and Bulma had a week left to go before her wedding ceremony. It was public knowledge where the ceremony would be held and when, despite the fact that everyone tried to keep it quiet. Frieza still hadn’t been captured. Neither had Zarbon. At times, both she and Vegeta felt agitated, but then they would lock all the doors and windows and rested peacefully knowing they had a guard outside. Focusing on each other was the only thing that kept them both calm.

“Is my niece ready to go?”

Bulma looked up from her computer and smiled at Zorn. “Just a second,” she said before she saved some document. Zorn had been a great addition to the company. When his parents cut ties with Freeze Corp., he decided to stay on at Capsule Corp. There was just something about her fiancé’s uncle that she liked. Vegeta even accepted the man. It had taken a little while to get over the shock, but the two spent more time together and Vegeta realized how much like his mother Zorn truly was.

Zorn went with him, Kakarot, Raditz, Nappa, and Yamcha to the ball game. Of course, Bardock, Tien, and Krillin went as well, just in case. The laser tag competition went over pretty well, also. Everyone had fun and were now ready for the day of the wedding to just arrive.

There was a knock on Bulma’s office door which took her by surprise. “Who is it?” Rodney opened the door, and Bulma instantly glared at him. “Get out.”

Zorn looked to the stranger and frowned. “Sir, do you have an appointment? If not, I suggest you leave my niece—”

“I’m here to apologize for my behavior at the hospital,” Rodney interjected quickly before he was thrown out. “And you’re Bulma’s uncle? Where were you when she was all alone?”

“Really?” Bulma grumbled. “You really don’t know anything, do you? No wonder Vegeta gets fed up with you. I used to think he just didn’t like you, but now it’s all really clear. Zorn is not my uncle. He’s Vegeta’s. His mother’s brother.”

Rodney seemed surprised that Vegeta was in contact with anyone from his mother’s family. He had given Nappa a hard time when the man decided to keep Vegeta away from them. Nappa would just tell him that Vegeta would be better off not knowing them, and that he was making that call. Rodney lectured Nappa for weeks, but the man ignored him. Did Vegeta express the desire to know the family? Had Rodney been right about something?

“I can see you’re confused,” Zorn stated. “I know how you are with making assumptions. Vegeta told me. Nappa also told me how against him you were when he decided to keep Vegeta away. It was the best decision he could have made for him. My parents were awful and they would have forced him into the business world and their company, and he would have had to work closely with his parents’ and sibling’s killer.”

“Sibling?” Rodney shouted. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

Bulma sighed and hoped she wasn’t breaching Vegeta’s trust by informing Rodney of his charge’s other child. “Vegeta’s mother was pregnant when they were going on their trip. Zarbon, the guy who injured Vegeta and forced the Everclear down his throat, placed a bomb to go off while they were in the air. I’m surprised you didn’t hear that on the news.”

Rodney hadn’t really been watching the new lately. He had many other things to deal with. “I haven’t been watching. Is Vegeta okay?”

“He’s fine,” Zorn replied. “You don’t need to worry about him. He’s happy. Nappa and Bulma made sure of that, so leave them alone.”

“Can I please talk to her alone?” Rodney begged. “I’ll only take a minute.”

Zorn looked to Bulma to gage her reaction as to what she wanted. She nodded at him and said, “I’ll hear him out. I’ll be ready to go in a moment. Let Launch know.”

“See you downstairs,” Zorn stated before he flashed another glare at Rodney. He then left the two alone.

“Bulma, I had no idea what you were going through while Vegeta was in the coma,” he started. “I really was trying to help. I thought that maybe you all weren’t thinking clearly. It’s not an excuse. I just really thought I was helping. Clearly, I wasn’t. I just want you to know that I am deeply and truly sorry, especially for causing you to feel any more guilt or pain.”

“I’m not going to lie and say that ‘it’s okay’,” Bulma responded curtly. “My mother raised me better than that. I want to accept your apology, but I don’t think I can truly forgive you, so I won’t say I accept. Please, get out of my office so that I can finish up for the day. I would like to get home as quickly as possible.”

Rodney hated that she wouldn’t accept his apology, but he could hardly say that he blamed her. “Take care,” he answered before he turned to leave her office. It pained him that he couldn’t get her to accept his apology. If she didn’t accept it, there was no way Vegeta ever would.

Bulma sighed after Rodney left. She felt bad that she couldn’t set his mind at ease and put his worries to rest, but she resented him. He was the one that wanted to take Vegeta off the machines despite the fact that his condition improved considerably over the month. That was the day Vegeta woke up. It scared her to think of how much she had considered Rodney’s words and could have ruined both hers and Vegeta’s lives if she agreed with the man in her grief. She just kept focusing on what she knew of Vegeta. The man she loved was a fighter. It still upset her that the doubt had been there, however fleeting.

Quickly, Bulma closed her computer down and gathered her belongings. At least she didn’t have to worry about any of this now. In just a few days, she would be married to Vegeta. The past was in the past. They were looking towards the future together.

* * *

Vegeta was relaxing at home. It was his day off and he already cleaned every room he could think of and picked up some groceries. He spent most of the day watching TV until that started to piss him off. Every news station was talking about Frieza’s and Zarbon’s disappearance and how that would affect his and Bulma’s wedding. These people treated it all like a fucking game. Didn’t they realize that all of their lives were at stake? Morons.

It bothered him even more when Rodney called. Vegeta let the call go to voicemail, but he still got to hear it. Rodney actually had the gall to call him on his day off and attempt to apologize? Vegeta was disgusted. He didn’t want an apology from the man. Rodney may have been his father’s guardian, but he was nothing to Vegeta. Out of consideration and formality, Vegeta tried to be more accepting of Rodney, but he couldn’t help but detest how Rodney thought he actually held any weight in his life. He attacked his guardian, hurt Bulma while she was dealing with everything. He even overheard Nappa tell Zorn that Rodney was always pissed at him for keeping Vegeta away from his mother’s family as a child. Vegeta didn’t make his presence known during that topic, but it sure as hell didn’t help with his opinion of Rodney at all. The man knew nothing.

Vegeta confided in Bulma just how much he couldn’t stand Rodney. Everyone at the fire station saw it, and Bulma had already known. Apparently, she just thought he didn’t like Rodney or his attitude, but she didn’t know how deeply it ran until Vegeta finally informed her. She knew that Rodney gave Vegeta a hard time about his drinking and was always on his case, but she didn’t truly understand until she saw Rodney in action at the hospital, how the man tried to undermine Nappa every chance he got. That set the woman off. Vegeta didn’t really want to remind her of that day, but it needed to be said to explain why he didn’t want the man at his wedding. The fact that Bulma was also pissed at Rodney helped Vegeta’s case immensely.

He looked at the clock and grinned. His fiancé would be home soon which would be the highlight of his day. The two of them planned to go out to his favorite restaurant with Nappa and Zorn, the one by the water. Vegeta also wanted to bring Bulma to his parents’ resting place. He had been honest with Nappa when he said he’d want to go again, to hear more stories about his parents. It was only fitting that Bulma and Zorn would be able to go, too.

His heart still ached anytime he thought of his parents, but he realized he avoided feeling anything for so long. He no longer minded feeling raw emotion. Maybe the child inside of him had finally had enough of being shoved off to the sidelines. Maybe that child had grown up and was just ready to be over the grief. Vegeta didn’t really know for sure. He could only guess about his inner psyche. At least he had people to go through it with him. At least he was no longer going to the bottle.

Thinking of alcohol brought his mind back to Zarbon. His expression soured as he thought of the pretty boy that went after his mother. The bastard actually thought Vegeta’s mother would be the type to leave her husband and son behind. Vegeta scoffed at the notion. Apparently being a good wife and mother was a crime in the businessman’s eyes. Vegeta was thankful he was never trained for that mindset. The business world seemed really stupid, in his opinion, except for places like Capsule Corp. and whatever company his mother ended up working for. Thank God Nappa kept him away from his grandparents’ company. If Vegeta ever had to work with the man who was responsible for his parents’ and sibling’s death…let’s just say he would have jail time to worry about, too.

He heard the sound of a car door close and smiled. It sounded like Bulma and Zorn made it back. He went to look out the window to be sure and saw his beautiful fiancé being helped out of the cop car by his uncle. In about a half hour, Nappa would be off and they could finally go out. At least he’d get to hear about his future wife’s day instead of focusing on the news or his bitter thoughts. Yes, that sounded like a much better use of their time.

* * *

A few days later, everyone was getting ready for the wedding. Vegeta was busy getting into his suit while his friends were downstairs handling the horde of people that entered the church. He sighed in frustration over hearing the sounds of the commotion outside, but he figured it came with the territory of marrying a famous inventor/businesswoman. If that was all he had to deal with on his wedding day, it was well worth it considering he’d be with the woman he loved for the rest of his life.

He hadn’t seen her for a full twenty-four hours. Of course, it was tradition, and Chi-Chi expected it. She basically told Bulma she didn’t want her doing anything improper the day before their wedding. Her friend didn’t know about the one night they shared, or the fact that both Vegeta and Bulma decided to wait on continuing those activities until after they were married. Vegeta still couldn’t believe he threw himself at her in his drunken state. No, the next time they were to be together, he wanted it to be special for the both of them to erase his horrible mistake.

“You ready, kid?”

Nappa entered the room where Vegeta was hiding out. “Yes,” he responded sincerely. “I…wanted to thank you, for keeping Bulma together when I was—”

“Don’t even worry about it, Vegeta,” Nappa chided. “You know I see you as my son. When you told me you were thinking of marrying this one, I already accepted her as my daughter. It was no big deal.”

“It is to me,” Vegeta countered. “Everything you’ve done for me is a big deal.”

“Don’t make me emotional before the ceremony, kid,” Nappa joked as he wiped a tear from his eye. “You look good. Seriously, we need to get you down there so we can get this over with. I already caught your uncle crying too.”

“Damn,” Vegeta chuckled. “Yeah, we better get this done before you people make fools of yourself on television.”

The two men shared a laugh before they began to head downstairs into the church. There, Vegeta went to the altar where Raditz and Kakarot were already waiting. Now, all they had to do was wait for Bulma and the girls.

* * *

“Can you ladies give me a minute?” Bulma asked, prompting her best friend and Katie to leave the room. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled lightly. “Well, Mom and Dad, I wish you could be here, but I know you’re seeing this wherever you are. I hope you approve of all of this.”

“I’m sure they would,” a voice cut through her reflection. “Unfortunate that it won’t be taking place.”

“Wha—” Bulma began to say, turning around. Before she could, though, a rag was forced against her mouth swiftly and her entire world went dark.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

The crowd started to simmer down once Vegeta took his place on the altar. Of course, he could still hear the commotion of newscasters questioning why a businesswoman like Bulma was marrying a firefighter like him. He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t say he was surprised. His entire life he heard people ask his mother the same question about his father. People could be really stupid sometimes.

Music began to play and Vegeta watched as his two friends escorted their women down the aisle. Things were moving too slow for Vegeta’s liking. It wasn’t until they touched the altar and the music changed that Vegeta was on alert. He knew in seconds that Bulma would be escorted down the aisle by his uncle.

That never came.

Zorn did enter the room, but he was frantic and alone holding a piece of paper. He brought it up to Vegeta as a new commotion swept the church. As Vegeta read the message—left by Zarbon—his anger skyrocketed. He stormed out of the church, looked for Tien, and found him lying unconscious in the bushes from a hit over his head.

In the church, people speculated that Bulma got cold feet and abandoned Vegeta, but those who knew her already assumed what was going on. Kakarot held onto Chi-Chi as she shook in his arms. “He took her,” she whispered. “Oh my God, Kakarot…he took her.”

“Sh,” he cooed gently. He pulled her shaking form close to him. “We’ll get her back. It’s going to be fine.”

“Sir, I’m with the local news and I want your comment on what the note said,” a woman accosted Zorn. “Did she run?”

“You people disgust me,” Zorn spat. “You’ve been talking for weeks on what would happen if Frieza decided to go after my niece and now you know. I hope you’re happy.”

The newscaster looked very stunned and downtrodden after Zorn took off. His insult hit so very close to home, and now she felt guilty. She looked back to her cameraman. “Live from the Briefs girl’s wedding, I am saddened to report that the bride has potentially been kidnapped. We have no idea where she could be right now. If anyone sees anything suspicious, please call the number on the screen and you will be directed to the local authorities. Everyone might want to keep their children in today and stay at home. Lock your doors and windows, and hopefully we will broadcast again with better news.”

* * *

Vegeta was frantic. That bastard actually had his fiancé, and the asshole that was responsible for the death of his family members left him a jeering letter. He could picture Zarbon’s mocking voice as he read the words over and over again.

_Hello brat,_

_By the time you read this, your bride will be with us back at our office. Unless you convince the board of her company to transfer all rights and rewards of the gravity room over to Mr. Freeze, as well as some of the assets Mr. Freeze tried to acquire from her father, your parents and sibling won’t be the only ones you lose. Come with the documents and come alone or innocent blood will be spilt._

“This is a game to them,” Vegeta growled as he shoved the paper into his guardian’s hands. Nappa’s shock was all Vegeta needed to see to know that they were in deep trouble.

“We need to play this carefully, or they’ll kill Bulma,” Raditz remarked as stoically as he could muster. “My father is already here.”

“I need to go alone,” Vegeta responded, knowing that that was probably the worst idea.

“Are you kidding?” Kakarot asked in shock, having finally come outside. “These freaks are unstable. There’s no way you’re going alone.”

“He will kill her if I don’t,” Vegeta shouted at his friend, rage exuding. “He made it very clear, Kakarot. If I wish her unharmed, I go alone.”

“Yes, but he also wants a bunch of hers and her father’s assets,” Zorn pointed out. “She wouldn’t want that, especially if both of you would be in their clutches. Vegeta, we need a plan to get you both out of there safely.”

“I’m already getting to work on that,” Bardock assured them. “Until then, Vegeta, they could be watching you. Go to the company and discuss the situation with the board. We will call in once we have a surefire plan of getting Bulma back and you in and out safely.”

“Fine,” Vegeta growled, though all he wanted to do was go to Freeze Corp. and get his fiancé back. What he desperately wanted was for all of this to be a sick nightmare and for him to wake up beside Bulma. He knew that was childish and scoffed the idea off. That’s when Launch showed up, prepared to escort him to the company with Zorn. In the meantime, the others would formulate and plan. At least Tien woke up and could get checked out. At least, so far, no other blood had actually been spilled.

* * *

Bulma woke up and noticed that she was in an office. Immediately, she went on the defensive and searched around for an enemy. She could have sworn she remembered hearing Zarbon’s voice before she blacked out. If that were the case, then she already knew where she was.

“Well, well,” a sickening voice shrilled in her ears. Bulma’s chest tightened when Frieza’s voice reached her. “Look who’s awake. How are you feeling, Miss Briefs.”

She was afraid, yes, but she was also very angry at the man. “How do you think I’m feeling?” she snapped. “You kidnapped me.”

“Ah yes, that. Well, don’t worry, my dear. I’m sure your soon-to-be husband will meet my demands. As soon as he gets the board to transfer the gravity room rights and funds like I asked, you will be returned to him unharmed, free to get married and whatever else you plan to do.”

“Are you crazy?” Bulma hissed. “There’s no way any of them are going to agree to that.”

Frieza’s amused expression remained, though he looked much more sinister. “Let’s hope for your sake that you’re wrong. As much as I’d enjoy it, I’d hate for you to get blood all over that white dress. Now, I have a meeting to get to. You’ll stay with Zarbon here.” Bulma’s eyes hesitantly moved to the normally proper looking man dressed in a black shirt and pants. He looked much more evil than he had the first time he entered her office. “Tah!”

When Frieza was gone, Zarbon snickered, uncrossed his arms, and pushed off the wall. “Well, alone at last. Let’s chat for a while, shall we, Miss Briefs.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “Don’t act like that with me, you murderer,” she retorted, making the man frown. “I know everything. I know what you did to Vegeta and what you told him. You have no right to talk to me, you—”

Bulma was silenced when she felt herself being pushed up against the wall of Frieza’s office, a knife pressed up against her neck. “Good,” Zarbon breathed against her. “Then you know just how personal this is for me. Careful, or you’ll find yourself missing a head, got it.”

A sickening feeling overcame Bulma and she had to force herself to nod and then start breathing again. He pulled away from her, a sadistic grin graced his features. “Now, sit down and let’s talk. Frieza may plan on letting you go, but I’m going to tell you exactly what’s going to happen once those assets are transferred. Sit.”

Bulma hated listening to this freak, but she didn’t want to set him off again. After all, this was the man who put a bomb in a woman’s bag just because she didn’t return his affections. And she was _already_ married at that. To say that he loved her, yet that he could do that to her…Bulma needed to stay alive for Vegeta. For that, she would listen to Zarbon’s demands, though she wasn’t looking forward to what he had to say at all.

* * *

Vegeta did what Bardock said and went to the company. He was let in with no problem considering everyone knew he and Bulma were getting married. Still, they were all understandably shocked that he was there. Everyone knew that the ceremony was supposed to take place at the precise time, and Vegeta was walking into the building alone, without Bulma.

The head of the board came to greet him and asked what was wrong. Vegeta couldn’t tell them yet. He would inform them in the boardroom, just in case Frieza was having them watched. They could make it look like they were arguing about the stocks while Bardock got his plan together. Anything that would help his soon-to-be wife is what he would do. "Get the entire board into the conference room, now,” he commanded, his voice even and leaving no room for argument.

The way he spoke made the head very concerned about his intentions. “Where is Miss Briefs? I thought you two were getting married today.”

“We are,” Vegeta replied. He had to believe that or the day would become an even bigger hell for him. “Please, just do this. I will explain everything once we’re inside.”

With Vegeta’s change in countenance and his voice full of emotion, the man couldn’t argue. He nodded and quickly went to assemble the board members. Clearly, something was wrong and, despite his curiosity, he knew he would have to wait to hear what his boss’s fiancé had to say.

Once in the boardroom, Vegeta began to explain the situation with the other members. At first, they thought he was truly asking him to transfer Capsule Corp. assets to the man who kidnapped the company’s president. Vegeta quickly assured him that he was not and that he refused to let the bastard that took his wife and murdered his family get a cent for which Bulma and her father had worked so hard.

“Then what are you suggesting?” the former vice-president asked. “Why are we even discussing this?”

“If Frieza is having me watched, then he has to at least _believe_ I’m trying to convince you to give everything up. If not, Bulma would be in danger. You people were the ones loyal to her and her father, who stood behind her even when she took over. I doubt you’d do anything to put her in harm’s way.”

The committee began to whisper their agreement and nodded in response to what Vegeta said. Another did speak up, though. “What do you want from us? Whatever you and Bulma need, within reason, we’ll do.”

Vegeta’s demeanor softened as he heard the kind words of the only other female board member aside from Bulma and Chi-Chi. “Thank you, uh…”

“Lazuli,” the blonde woman answered curtly. “I’ll give you a moment to think.”

Even though the woman gave him this opportunity to think, nothing came to him and he only grew more frustrated. Bulma’s life was in danger and he couldn’t think of a thing he could do to help her. Just then, though, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Raditz told him that his father wanted him to get a briefcase and have the members sign a few blank pages to put into the briefcase. That way, if he was being watched, Frieza would think he got them all to agree and would allow him into the building with no problem.

Once finished with the visual mislead, Raditz would pick Vegeta up and drive him to Freeze Corp. and then drive around the block and wait, but what Frieza wouldn’t know is that an officer would be hidden in the trunk of the car—Krillin. He would then coordinate the next move. Bardock would receive a signal from him that would alert the other officers that Vegeta was inside the building distracting Frieza. That would be the moment that the officers would arrive by foot and sneak into the building through backup areas and ventilation systems. One officer would go in search of Bulma while the other two made their way to where Vegeta and Frieza would be talking. Vegeta would need to keep Frieza talking and not let him take the briefcase until the other officers arrived on scene. And even though the main goal was to arrest Frieza and Zarbon, none of the officers planned on letting the men leave alive. They would get off on a technicality, just like they always did, so the officers’ solution needed to be more permanent.

“I think we know our plan of attack,” Vegeta finally spoke after he let the words sink in. “I need you all to play along. Someone, bring in some blank printer paper. All of you need to sign the documents, as if you were signing off on this deal. Does anyone have a briefcase?” One of the men took out his case and began to empty it of its contents. “Good. Let’s get this started. The more time we waste, the longer Bulma is with those madmen.”

The board committee began to scramble, headed to their desks to grab pens and to look like they were eagerly typing up the documents to hand over the assets to Frieza. Vegeta was thankful that they truly did have Bulma’s best interest at heart and that they were willing to listen to him and trust him with their president’s life. It spoke volumes about Bulma’s character, as well, that all of these men and women who worked for her respected her and cared about her wellbeing. He needed to not get caught up in fond thoughts at the moment. After all, he needed to have his wits about him when he faced Frieza. He did know one thing, though.

The bastard was going to pay for going after his woman.

* * *

Bulma fidgeted nervously in her seat as Zarbon started to tell her exactly what he planned to do with her. First, it started off like any normal villain speech about how Vegeta, both senior and junior, ruined his life. How they took the woman he loved from him, which annoyed Bulma to no end considering he already bitched to Vegeta about the same topic. Then he started to describe something that made Bulma feel very ill.

Zarbon actually boasted about how he put Vegeta in the coma.

What sickened Bulma was that the man was saying how much he enjoyed feeling Vegeta struggle in his grip, trying to fight him off but failing miserably. He was enraptured by the sound of the contents being emptied from the bottle and Vegeta’s gags as he was drowning. The satisfaction Zarbon got from feeling her fiancé’s suffering and delivering the news about his parents and unborn sibling made Bulma feel both angry and nauseated.

And then, of course, his attention shifted to her.

“He really loves you, you know,” the man said smoothly. “Every day after work he’d walk by the jewelry shop before meeting up with the officer. I honestly wondered what day I’d finally get him alone. The boy is too simple. I knew he’d go alone to get you the ring eventually if I bided my time correctly. Pathetic.”

Bulma bit her tongue. She wanted to defend Vegeta as he defended her, but it was a little hard to do when Zarbon had her wrists tied to the table with the knife pressed to them. Unfortunately for her, she needed to just sit and listen to the disgusting words of her captor. For Vegeta, she had to keep quiet and preserve her life. He couldn’t lose her, just like she couldn’t lose him.

“That’s why, when Frieza calls in asking me to bring you down to him, I’ll do as he says.” There was a sweetness to his voice, but the vicious grin he wore made Bulma think twice about what he said. “And when we enter the room, I’ll be sure to slit that pretty little neck of yours so that I can finally take my revenge on the little brat. A life for a life. He took my woman away from me, and I will take his. Poetic justice, no?”

Bulma remained silent, though her heart beat rapidly in fear. The man in front of her was clearly mental. He had to be to work willingly for someone like Frieza. She wanted to tell him that he was sick, but instead, she had to wait. There was no doubt in her mind that Vegeta would come for her. He was always there for her. He rescued her from the fire that killed her parents. Had he been any later, she would have joined them and she would have never fallen in love with him. He would still be a grieving mess, drinking his problems away. She refused to be the reason he’d go back to that.

“Heh, I can only imagine how he’ll feel when he sees the blood drain from your lifeless corpse, but for now, we must wait. We still have to see if he fetches the assets like a good dog.”

Bulma’s fists clenched in the ropes. She was sick of hearing this man talk. But moments later, she finally got a reprieve as he withdrew the knife. “Now, be a good little girl while I step out. Don’t try to escape, not that you’d be able to go anywhere.” He looked to her secured wrists and smirked.

Once he was out of the room and Bulma could no longer hear him walking, she finally released her anger. “That sick, arrogant bastard!” She shook her head in disgust. “If I had to listen to him anymore, I would vomit.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

Bulma’s heart stopped once again, but this time from sheer joy as she heard the voice of Officer Launch. She turned around to see the blonde woman enter the room and move to cut her free. “I thought that asshole would never leave. You okay, princess?”

A laugh escaped the blue-haired woman in spite of their dire situation. “Yeah, fine now. Where’s Vegeta?”

Launch’s expression soured. “With Frieza.” When she saw Bulma’s horrified expression, she explained. “Don’t worry; just a little acting on his part. Bardock and Tien are already making their way to him. First and foremost, we need to get you out of here and to safety.”

“Not without Vegeta,” Bulma declared, but she didn’t have a choice as Launch dragged her through her escape route. Eventually, the two women made it outside and Launch brought Bulma around the corner to where Raditz was waiting. The officer demanded Raditz take her to the police station, where everyone else was waiting for her and keeping an ear on what was going on. Apparently, Vegeta went in with a bug. Bulma was thankful that even though she was taken out of the immediate danger, she would still be able to know what was going on with her soon-to-be husband.

He had to make it out of there.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Bulma couldn’t believe what was actually happening. Raditz brought her to the police station, for she would be safe there. The officers allowed her to sit in and listen to what was being said between her fiancé and Frieza. She couldn’t believe Vegeta went through all that trouble, put his life at risk, just to protect and save her. He wore a bug for the officers to get whatever they needed on Frieza, but no one at the precinct was stupid. They knew the officers on the scene wouldn’t let the men leave. Truthfully, many of the officers just wanted the criminals dead, although they would never admit to it out loud.

The blue-haired woman was handed a coffee by Launch, but she could not drink it. She was too on edge waiting to hear what was happening. So far, all she could hear were footsteps. Most likely, Vegeta was walking to wherever Frieza was. Then, the footsteps stopped, and she knew.

 _“Ah, Mr. Kurobushi, how nice to finally meet you,”_ Frieza’s voice sang over the speaker. _“I believe the last time I saw you was at a company picnic. I didn’t officially attend of course, but I did make sure to catch a glimpse of you and your father. You look just like him, you know.”_

 _“Spare me,”_ Vegeta’s smooth voice spoke. Bulma felt relieved when she heard him. Somehow, he managed to stay incredibly calm, most likely because he knew she was okay, safe somewhere with an officer. _“You don’t get to talk about my family.”_

 _“Why ever not?”_ Frieza replied. The man sounded highly offended. _“All of my employees were like family to me, your mother included. Such a tragedy.”_

 _“Bullshit,”_ Vegeta scoffed. _“I already know the truth, you bastard. That freak who threatened my fiancé told me everything as he shoved that fucking bottle down my throat. You were the one who wanted her dead. You killed them, all three of them.”_

 _“Three?”_ Frieza was silent for a moment before he snickered. _“Ah, yes, Zarbon told me about the baby. It’s hard to remember; it was so long ago. Twenty years, maybe? Oh, no, sixteen, perhaps? Such a shame. And you were so young, too. It must have been difficult for you. A happy-go-lucky little boy who suddenly lost his parents. I honestly feel bad_ for _you. Of course, it’s not your fault, not entirely. It was your mother’s choice to defy me. She didn’t leave you and your father when she had the chance. You were just an innocent bystander, even now. I pity you for falling in love with my target.”_

* * *

“Enough!” Vegeta snapped harshly. He knew he had to keep Frieza talking, but the firefighter was now completely irate. He couldn’t believe Frieza would talk about his mother and her death directly to his face, that he could say he ‘pitied’ him. If Vegeta didn’t need to get out of there alive, he’d punch Frieza’s lights out just for speaking about the ‘tragedy’ he caused.

“Relax, Vegeta,” Frieza stated as he waved his hands down to the ground. “Your fiancé will be returned to you in one piece. You see, I rarely go after the children of the men and women who did me wrong. The only reason I sent Zarbon after you was to scare the little heiress a bit. I intended to have Zarbon kidnap you, not kill you. You have an excellent fighter’s spirit. We could use someone like you on our side.”

“Pass,” Vegeta sneered.

Frieza didn’t seem bothered by his rejection. “Suit yourself,” the villain replied. “Now, about those assets, you were a good little boy, weren’t you? Did you get the board to sign everything over?”

Vegeta glared heatedly at Frieza before he looked to the briefcase full of fake documentation. “You had me watched, right? So you already know the answer to that.”

“Of course, of course,” Frieza responded in humor as he laughed behind his hand. “See, you’re already learning.” And that was when the amused Frieza left and his seriousness came out. His eyes narrowed at Vegeta, and the youth honestly felt fear in his heart from that one, simple gaze. “So you already know what I’ll do to you and your pretty little fiancé if you’re lying.”

Now, Vegeta realized he needed to get Frieza on another topic. He was getting too close to figuring things out. Where Bulma was safe at the station, he was still waiting for Bardock and Tien to close in on Frieza, and that wasn’t even including Zarbon who had yet to make an appearance. Something came to him, though, before Frieza stepped forward. The creep said he liked to keep the kids of the people who ‘wronged’ him out of everything.

“Why did you go after Bulma?” Frieza’s stern expression never left his face as he waited for Vegeta to elaborate. “You said you rarely go after the children. If that’s the case, why us?”

He saw something spark in Frieza’s eyes as the twitch of his lips formed a smile. He closed his eyes and pondered the idea. “Now, that is an excellent question. You see, Vegeta, neither of you would have gotten involved had that fire not happened. I was planning on going after Dr. Briefs for ignoring my offer, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined something like an explosion would take him and his wife away.

“You know, it is sort of humorous, the way the media assumed I caused the explosion. I wouldn’t have gotten what I wanted that way. Of course, their deaths made it easier, for Dr. Briefs’s daughter took over. I figured she would be grieving and weak, but you interfered with that. Had she just made the deal with me, the two of you would be getting married right now. I wouldn’t have come after either of you.”

Vegeta felt bothered by this. “You knew that Capsule Corp. was no longer going to create weapons. What would you truly have to gain from making a deal? It’s all about home improvement now.”

“You don’t know what those files you have are, do you?” Frieza said with a smirk. “It is true that Miss Briefs was getting out of that division, but I wanted to be a part of the gravity project. Not only that, but those other assets you possess, the ones her father refused to sell me, are the patents for some very deadly weapons. Freeze Corp. will be the leading company in developing weaponry. Capsule Corp. will be nothing but a memory. They will no longer receive the finances from those weapons.”

The flame-haired youth was shocked. He didn’t know what Frieza knew about Capsule Corp., but clearly the businessman didn’t know enough. Bulma told Vegeta in confidence that those old weapons designs patented by her father had been bought back and destroyed. Dr. Briefs never wanted his company to facilitate war and combat, and Bulma didn’t want that either. In the time that she was back at work, all of the worse weapons were destroyed. The patents were through Capsule Corp., so other companies couldn’t purchase them since the company was reluctant to sell. The reason Vegeta knew all this was because Bulma brought the patents home with her and they safely burned them together. It made Bulma feel relief that all those old designs would never be used again. Obviously, Frieza didn’t know this. The only patented weapons that remained were simple handguns now, nothing that could create so much damage.

Vegeta watched the man cautiously, not sure what he would do. He shook his head and looked down to the briefcase. Where were Bardock and Tien? Frieza would eventually get bored of talking. Eventually, he’d take action. Thanks to the martial arts lessons, Vegeta would be able to get away from him, but he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. “There’s also something that I want from you, too.”

That confused Vegeta. What could he possibly have that Frieza would want? Seeing his perplexed eyes, Frieza spoke again. “Your grandparents decided to withdraw from my company. It was time to renew our deal, and yet they decided to run. This is not something I can accept.”

“You killed their daughter,” Vegeta retorted as he crossed his arms. “You’re lucky that’s all they did. You will never get away with any of this. And what exactly are you planning to do? You’re a wanted criminal now. How did you even get into this building without getting yourself arrested?”

“There are dirty cops everywhere, Vegeta,” Frieza replied. “Not that little band you have, of course. Not even the ones at their precinct. Many other precincts, though. As for the charges, I have an excellent lawyer who, despite what the doctor’s report says, will dictate that it’s the word of a depressed drunkard against a wealthy businessman. After all, you are just marrying the little bitch for her money, just like your father.”

“Shut up!” Vegeta shouted angrily. “My father didn’t give a shit about the fucking money, and I don’t either. He loved her with every fiber of his being. We were happy until you and your asshole decided to come after us. I’m not fucking depressed. Now I’m just pissed.”

“Hm,” Frieza pondered. He scratched his chin and said, “I suppose I could have my lawyer say that you’re slandering me because the alcohol damaged your brain and you have all these delusions. You want revenge on the man you _imagined_ killed your parents. Yes, I could spin that very well.”

* * *

“That monster,” Bulma breathed out while vigorously shaking her head. Tears fell, but she couldn’t even be bothered. Vegeta had to listen to this freak say such horrible things and he could do nothing about it.

Launch placed her hand on Bulma’s shoulder in attempts to comfort her. “Look, he already confessed to murdering them. We knew he’d pull something like this which is why we wired Vegeta. Frieza is a self-important bastard who likes to hear himself talk. He’s trying to goad Vegeta into attacking him.”

“What’s taking the other officers so long to reach him?” Bulma questioned. “He shouldn’t have to endure another minute of this.”

The officer agreed with her, but as for her colleagues, she had no idea. They had to be close to them by now, and they should have already made their presence known. Maybe they were trying to get Frieza to admit as much as they could about his past crimes.

 _“Oh, you look so infuriated,”_ Frieza chided. _“You should be happy, Vegeta. After all, you are the only man who has ever survived our murder attempts AND I plan to let you and your fiancé live. We can still be civil, after all. Now, give Zarbon the briefcase, and Miss Briefs will be returned to you unharmed.”_

Footsteps could be heard, so Bulma knew that Zarbon was there. She could imagine Vegeta’s tumultuous emotions, for she hated that bastard herself. He was cruel. He tried to kill Vegeta to scare her off. He planned to kill _her_ just to upset Vegeta for the fact that Vegeta’s mother loved him and would not give up her husband or son.

 _“I am not an idiot,”_ Vegeta stated as coolly as possible. _“The second I give you this case, you’ll either kill me, Bulma, or both. I’m not handing it over unless she’s brought to me.”_

Bulma panicked and looked at Launch, but the officer didn’t seem phased. “H-he knows I’m here, right?”

Launch gave a curt nod. “He knows. He wasn’t supposed to say that unless he saw either Bardock or Tien. It’ll get Zarbon out of the room to fetch you, and then it’ll be two armed officers on one.”

The heiress felt relief when Launch told her this. That meant they were almost in the clear. Soon, they’d take out Frieza, and then Zarbon would be next.

_“I understand your concern, Mr. Kurobushi, however, I am also not an idiot. The second Zarbon leaves, I’ll be attacked by the officers that accompanied you.”_

Bulma’s stomach dropped and Launch cursed under her breath before she contacted Krillin and sent some other agents for backup. The heiress looked to the older woman. “Don’t worry. If he knows officers are stations there, he’s not going to harm Vegeta.”

“How do you know?” Bulma snapped, tears in her eyes. “What if he—?”

The blonde knelt down in front of the woman and placed her hands on her shoulders. “None of that. Just trust me. Vegeta is going to be fine.”

Though Bulma was uncertain, she agreed and waited with the few remaining officers as they all listened in on the conversation. She prayed that Launch was right, that Frieza wouldn’t do anything stupid. She had to trust that Vegeta wouldn’t get hurt. Her mind was forcing itself not to focus on the thoughts of when he was in the coma.

* * *

Vegeta didn’t react when Frieza made his little announcement. His face remained stone cold, expressionless, bored even. The youth could see both Bardock and Tien stationed with their guns at the ready. They made eye contact with him and nodded. It didn’t matter than Frieza knew they were there. They still didn’t intend to let him live.

Zarbon looked amused, but then he realized something. The cops weren’t stupid to show up without making sure their hostage was safe. A growl caught Frieza’s attention. “What is the problem?” the criminal asked his lackey.

“I doubt the Capsule Corp. heiress is still with us,” he remarked. He then pointed to the briefcase. “I’m also willing to bet those documents are forgeries. It’s all been a setup. That’s why the police are here.”

Frieza nodded and sighed. “Yes, that would make sense. That only leaves us one option.”

Vegeta dropped the case and readied himself. He didn’t trust Frieza or Zarbon, and even if the officers were armed, it was clear that the two businessmen were not concerned. “Why can’t you just drop this? You’ve lost. Why make it worse for yourself?”

“The question, brat, is how to make it worse for you.”

Vegeta’s attention shifted to Zarbon, but he was alarmed to see the man wasn’t there anymore. Even the officers lost sight of him, and Frieza appeared to be highly entertained. That was when the vicious man moved to sit in a chair in the center of the room and poured himself a glass of wine, despite the fact that he knew he had two officers’ guns pointed directly at him.

The youth looked around. He did not know where Zarbon would strike. He hated that he couldn’t tell what the bastard was thinking. Eventually, Vegeta heard a unique sound, the flip of a switchblade. He rolled his eyes. First jamming a bottle of alcohol down his throat and now a knife? What was this? Some bad gang fight movie?

Vegeta heard the click of the pretty boy’s fancy shoes. He was able to avoid the blade, then grabbed Zarbon’s arm and twisted it behind his body. The knife was knocked out Zarbon’s hand, but the creep managed to escape Vegeta’s hold and punch him in the gut. Vegeta did his best to steel himself considering the businessman’s punches weren’t that strong, but he still gagged before he was able to pull back.

The two exchanged blows and defensive maneuvers while the knife lied on the ground. Frieza’s eyes migrated to the weapon before they focused on the two fighters. Surprisingly, and unamusingly, Vegeta was able to go toe-to-toe with Zarbon. From what Zarbon told Frieza, Vegeta couldn’t hold a candle to him the night he forced him to drink the Everclear. They were not dealing with the same, helpless idiot, but a well-trained, angry opponent. It was different when he believed he could use Vegeta as leverage. This was completely unexpected. Now, Frieza wasn’t exactly thrilled with the officers being there.

Vegeta was getting exhausted, but he used every ounce of his energy to fight back. He used every skill Bardock taught him, every maneuver to avoid serious hits to his vital organs and body. Every time Zarbon tried to apprehend him using his arm, Vegeta turned it around and twisted his back. Eventually, he was able to toss Zarbon into a wall and dive for the knife.

Zarbon gripped his head and then glared at Vegeta who he assumed would be far away. Instead, he found the enraged youth right in front of him. The blade was held to his neck. The way Vegeta had the businessman pressed up against the wall was fitting. Vegeta entrapped him, and he wasn’t going to let him get away.

“You won’t do it,” Zarbon taunted as a wicked grin formed. “You have too much to live for to put murder on your conscience.”

“You’re a moron,” Vegeta growled, his eyes aglow with feral fire, “if you think I won’t. You murdered my parents, killed an unborn child, threatened my fiancé, attempted to kill me…”

In one swift motion, Vegeta slit Zarbon’s throat with the blade. He didn’t care if he had to go to trial, for all the officers would say it was done in self-defense. It was true, after all, that Zarbon would have murdered Vegeta the instant he let him go and walked away. Instead, the murderer fell dead, and Vegeta tossed the knife down to the ground. He avenged his parents and sibling. He avenged himself.

Unfortunately, that still left Frieza, and he was obviously pissed. Maybe Vegeta shouldn’t have gotten rid of the knife just yet.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

Frieza’s angry eyes were on Vegeta—the youth stared back impassively—before he closed them and sighed in frustration.

“One down,” Vegeta taunted which enraged Frieza even more. “There are two armed officers here, Frieza. It’s over.”

“You think so, hm?” the businessman slurred mockingly. The rage left for a moment yielding to amusement before the monster chuckled. “You don’t know me very well, Vegeta, but there is something you have yet to learn.”

Vegeta’s brow quirked up in concern. What did Frieza mean by that?

Frieza grinned maliciously before he took something out of his pocket. It looked like a button, but Vegeta had no idea what it would do. He looked around the room to see if Frieza had a hidden arsenal. The officers did the same. “Tell your officer buddies to put down their weapons and leave us,” Frieza ordered, his voice commanding as if her were still in control.

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. “And why would I do that?” he scoffed. “As far as I’m concerned you have nothing on us.”

This caused the man to wickedly cackle. Vegeta’s widened eyes looked over to the officers who were equally confused. Bardock regained his mentality, held up the gun, and aimed it towards Frieza’s skull. That bastard was finally going to get what was coming to him if Bardock had anything to say about it.

“You lose, Kurobushi,” Frieza victoriously jeered, “for the second I pressed this button, this whole building will explode. I may die, but so will you and the officers. But you may be able to buy yourselves some time if you do exactly what I say.”

* * *

“Damn it,” Launch snapped. “We weren’t prepared for something like this.”

When Bulma heard the officer say those words, her nerves instantly were all over the place, her body tensed painfully as she gripped on the woman’s desk hard. Raditz came up to them and tried to ease Bulma. His attempts failed, so he turned to the officer. “There has to be something they can do,” he said. “Can’t one of the officers just shoot?”

The officer shook her head. “Unfortunately, Frieza will anticipate that. Most likely his thumb is right on the button, and he could accidentally set off the explosion even after being shot. Their only chance is to listen to Frieza for the moment.”

 _“Frieza, this is getting ridiculous,”_ they heard Bardock say. _“Let the boy go. He has nothing left to offer you. Let’s just finish this.”_

 _“On the contrary,”_ Frieza smoothly replied, _“he has much to offer me, don’t you, Vegeta? Did I not discuss the possibility of you joining me?”_

 _“Not on your life,”_ Vegeta growled. _“I would never work for or with anyone who would harm my family. You killed my parents and sibling, and you kidnapped my fiancé. I’ll never work for you.”_

 _“Then let’s play a game,”_ Frieza retorted. _“I have here in my hand a device that could end all of our lives, but there’s the possibility of you saving yourselves. Officers, give him one of your guns. Let’s make this interesting.”_

Bulma’s heart was still beating fast. Frieza wanted to play a game? Was he serious? There was no way the officers or Vegeta would agree to this. She heard the monster sigh in exasperation. _“Come now, we haven’t got all day. If you don’t play my game, I’ll have no other reason not to blow this place up.”_

Eventually, the sound of a gun being slid across the floor could be heard. _“Very good. Now, Vegeta, be a good boy and pick the weapon up. Okay, now remove all of the bullets save one. This game will be a bit like Russian roulette, though instead of aiming the gun at yourself, you’ll aim it at me. As you said, I’m not getting out of here alive, but this game of chance will determine how many of you I take with me. Each time you shoot and nothing happens, one of you gets to leave. We’ll start with the officers since you’re the one who must pull the trigger. If you hit me, though, most likely my finger will press the button and whoever remains inside will die. Now, if you by some stroke of luck manage to get three blanks, well, it’ll just be you and me. You’ll have the option to leave or to fight. If you leave, we both go free. If you choose to fight, we’ll be fighting in the middle of a burning building, and I don’t intend to leave you alive. All of our actions are up to chance, Vegeta. Are you up for it?”_

There was silence for a moment before everyone heard the sounds of falling bullets and the gun click into place. _“Why the hell not?”_

* * *

Vegeta didn’t like this game Frieza suggested. It was too easy for Frieza to get what he wanted, but the fact that there was a chance he could get the officers out before Frieza blew the place up appealed to the firefighter. To be honest, Vegeta hoped he would end up with two blanks and a shot. Yes, he’d be putting his life in danger, but he knew how to get out of a burning building after an explosion. Had that not happened when he rescued Bulma?

He wanted the officers outside, safe and sound, and then he wanted Frieza dead, but it was all up to chance. That ideology disgusted him. Who bargained with their own life? Yes, the youth gave in, but not because he wanted to toy around with his life. He needed to make sure Frieza never hurt anyone else ever again.

So he agreed to play his game even once Bardock and Tien yelled at him not to agree. “Vegeta, don’t be stupid,” his friends’ father shouted. “He wants this. You’re playing right into his hand.”

“If this isn’t a shot, leave,” Vegeta ordered. “Make sure there are no other workers still inside and go. I’ll deal with this madman.”

“Vegeta…” Tien breathed out, amazed. “No, we won’t leave you behind.”

“You will or I’ll just blow this building up now,” Frieza interjected. “This is my game, my rules. If you value your lives and the lives of whoever is still in the building, you’ll listen to Mr. Kurobushi here.”

“Are there others in the building?” Bardock demanded.

Frieza shrugged. “How should I know? It’s not like I care about my employees.”

“So much for them being family,” Vegeta scoffed as Frieza finally showed his true colors.

Vegeta gripped the gun, ready to shoot. _Please, let it be a blank,_ he begged whatever deity was listening. And then he pulled the trigger. To his relief, nothing happened. His eyes shot over to the officers’ and then Bardock motioned to Tien to leave. Officer Tien looked back at Vegeta, his eyes full of worry before he went off to see if there were any other bodies left in the corporation.

“Well, that’s one point for you, and an extra chance to save the father of your little friends,” Frieza taunted making Vegeta flinch. “Yes, I know a lot about all of you. Whenever I find a target, I make it my business to know all of the people that surround them, even if it’s by association.”

“You’re mental,” Vegeta snarled. “That’s the only explanation for any of this. Don’t you care that you’re gambling with your own life?”

Frieza simply shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I have what I want, so truthfully it doesn’t matter. Besides, you’re gambling more than I am. It’s time to take another shot.”

Vegeta didn’t have the time to process or understand whatever Frieza meant about him taking more of a gamble, but he pulled the trigger once again and no bullet flew. The youth breathed a sigh of a relief. At least he knew Kakarot’s and Raditz’s father would be safe, and it would make it easier to get out of the building alone.

“Officer Bardock,” Frieza sang while wearing a cruel smirk, “it looks like you’re free to go. Vegeta no longer required your services, isn’t that right?”

He looked over Frieza’s shoulder to Bardock sternly and nodded. Bardock’s finger was still on the trigger of the gun, but he realized there was little he could do inside that building. On the outside, though, he could prepare for the worst. “Be careful, kid.”

Bardock left the room and left the building from the back entrance and immediately dialed up both his precinct and the fire department. There was only way everything could go down, and honestly it was going to end with a demolished building. “Yeah, this is Officer Bardock. I can’t give you details right now, but you need to get people over to Freeze Corp. I have a feeling we’re going to need your services.”

He hung up and quickly dialed the department and told Launch to get a team together to start setting up barricades to the streets surrounding the building, as well as call up all of the buildings on the block to have them evacuate. If this was going to happen, they could at least mitigate the damage.

* * *

Raditz jumped when he felt his pager go off. He sighed when he saw a message from the department and looked over to his brother and Nappa. “Rodney paged me,” he told them. “We need to go in.”

“We do?” Kakarot questioned. “Raditz, shouldn’t we wait to hear on Vegeta?”

“This is us hearing on Vegeta,” Raditz snapped. “Look, Kakarot. Dad called in. We can’t trust that Frieza won’t detonate. We need to go and help just in case he does.”

Bulma looked over to the three firefighters and tried to rein in her emotions. She couldn’t handle this stress. Vegeta was in danger, and it was all her fault. If she had agreed to give Frieza what he wanted, they’d both be safe. Now, she didn’t know what would happen. _“It’s just us, now,”_ Frieza chimed. _“Is there anything else you wish to know before this final gambit?”_

 _“Unfortunately,”_ Vegeta remarked. _“You seem pretty overconfident in whatever the outcome. If I were to have a blank, you said I had the choice whether to walk away or fight. If I did either, you’d escape. How? How if you plan to blow this shithole up?”_

 _“That’s a very good question,”_ Frieza pondered. _“Hm, how to answer? Well, truthfully, I don’t intend to go down with this building. I have various ways to escape. I always do, and that’s no secret. Your only way of defeating me is if this next shot is truly a shot and kills me. But then again, you’ll never find a way out.”_

 _“Don’t be so sure,”_ Vegeta replied calmly. _“I’ll find a way.”_

While Vegeta was talking with Frieza, the three firefighters left the station to get to the site. They were determined not to let their friend have to deal with this alone. Of course, Bulma was left there to listen to the sickening man and pray that her fiancé would make it out alive. She couldn’t live if this was a repeat of her family’s home.

* * *

It was strange, now that the officers were gone. Frieza wasn’t demanding Vegeta make the next move. Part of Vegeta thought Frieza was allowing him to weigh his options. His thoughts were confirmed, that the only way to defeat Frieza was to end him now. The chances of Frieza making it out alive increased, and Vegeta refused to let that happen. He couldn’t walk away, leave them both alive, and he couldn’t fight either, for Frieza would escape to one of his escape routes and set off whatever explosives there were. Most likely, Vegeta would perish and Frieza would still be free to go after Bulma. No, he couldn’t let that happen either.

His only chance was if the next shot was the bullet.

Frieza would be defeated once and for all and would set off the explosives. Still, he’d be dead, and then Vegeta would have to depend on his own survival skills and training as a firefighter. That was his only shot. In the gun he held, the chances of that happening were close to ten percent. They weren’t good odds at all.

All of a sudden, they could hear the sound of loud sirens, and Vegeta recognized them instantly. Apparently, Frieza did as well. “It looks like your colleagues are coming to lend a hand. It’s too bad, really. There’s nothing they could do to stop me from pulling the trigger. Well, actually, that’s your job isn’t it?”

Vegeta’s grip on the gun tightened. He was getting irritated by the sound of Frieza’s voice. He needed to end this, and now that he knew a team was waiting on the other side, he was not afraid to face his fate. He took the pistol and aimed it directly at Frieza’s heart. The tyrant grinned malevolently. It was like the bastard wanted to get killed. “This is for my family,” he stated. In his mind, he actually decided to pray. _God, please…please let this be the shot._ And then he pulled the trigger, and seconds later, he knew he was screwed.

* * *

Bulma’s heart leapt from her chest as she not only heard a shot fire, but the sound of a massive explosion. “No!” she cried out, no longer able to breathe. “Vegeta!”

“Take it easy,” Launch ordered. The officer grabbed the girl’s shoulders. She frowned when she felt Bulma shaking.

Instantly, Chi-Chi was by Bulma’s side and tried to get Bulma to talk to her, but her friend was speechless and couldn’t form any words before she fell to her knees and started to break down.

 _“Sh-shit,”_ she heard Vegeta’s voice come over through the wire. Bulma froze, her eyes wide as she remained on the ground on all fours. Vegeta was alive!

Bulma was instantly back by the speaker and wished she could speak back to him. She hoped he would say something else. _“Fuck, front exit is blocked…maybe the back.”_

The sound of running was heard as well as some static. It wasn’t hard to tell what was happening. But knowing Vegeta was alive and trying to find a way out was enough for Bulma. At least, until she heard the sound of rumble fall and then nothing. She couldn’t help but panic and pray that Vegeta would be okay.

* * *

“Okay, the front exit is blocked, so most likely he’ll head to the back. Most of the flames are encasing the front. Frieza’s escape route must have been somewhere through the back,” Raditz observed. “He had everything well planned.”

“Let’s head in through the back,” Nappa stated. “We might end up meeting him halfway.”

“I’ll help with putting out the flames on the lower floors,” Kakarot interjected. “We don’t need this thing toppling over the city.”

The two men nodded, then headed behind the building and found an emergency exit. Nappa held his hand to the door and was relieved that it wasn’t very warm. Yes, this must have been the exit Frieza planned to take. Nappa attempted to open the door, but he found it was locked. _One way,_ he thought darkly before using his body to tank through the door. When the door wouldn’t give out, Raditz threw his weight at it. Eventually, it gave way, and they were in.

There was smoke, but not much, and little structural damage on their end, so they barreled through the place until they got closer to the main room. It got much harder halfway in, and would only get worse as they pressed through. Still, they weren’t going to give up. They would find Vegeta.

And then they saw him.

Vegeta ran through the only safe path he could find, but there was a wooden archway that caught fire. The pillars crumbled and droppws a huge mast over the youth’s head. It pushed him towards the doorway but knocked him out. “Of course,” Nappa scoffed. “At least he’s safe. Help me carry him.”

“Right,” Raditz agreed. As they hoisted Vegeta in their arms, Raditz snickered slightly. “Just you wait. There’s no way I’m letting you live this down, Vegeta.”

“No time,” Nappa scolded. “Let’s get him out of here. Once he’s with the ambulance, call Bulma. She needs to know he’s okay.”

Nappa looked back through the hall. “At least Frieza did one decent thing.”

* * *

Bulma paced around the precinct and ignored everyone who tried to calm her down. The wire failed over fifteen minutes ago, and that was fifteen minutes too many, fifteen minutes where she didn’t know if Vegeta escaped and was safe or if he was trapped in a burning building.

What was the point of all of these mind games? Did Frieza really want to die? No, he made sure he had exits, meaning he set up the explosives in just the right way. Vegeta was a trained firefighter, though. He wouldn’t panic. He’d notice the exits, just like he did when he noticed that the front was blocked. The disconnection meant nothing. He got himself out of that building.

Bulma’s phone rang.

She instantly grabbed her phone from the table, thankful that Chi-Chi brought it to the station. It was a number she didn’t recognize, and her heart sunk. “H-hello?” she nervously answered it.

 _“Hey, Bulma, it’s Raditz,”_ the man said calmly, his voice full of relief. Bulma’s eyes widened. _“Nappa and I got to Vegeta. He got hit in the head with a beam, probably inhaled a bit of smoke, but he was waking up when Nappa got him into the ambulance. Nappa’s going with him to the hospital. I figured you’d want to as well.”_

“Oh thank God,” Bulma whimpered out. “Thank you, Raditz. I’ll have Chi-Chi take me. It’s…it’s really over, right?”

_“Nappa and I didn’t go any further, but it’s pretty safe to assume Frieza’s dead. We’ll find out when the cops get Vegeta’s statement. For the most part, I’d say this is over.”_

Bulma breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked to the officer and asked, “Can I please go to the hospital? Vegeta’s been taken in, but he’s going to be fine.”

“Just to be safe, I’ll take you and your friend,” Launch replied after she heard Bulma say Chi-Chi would take her. “Until we know Frieza is dead for certain, we’ll still take precautions.”

Bulma nodded in agreement. “Okay.” Chi-Chi was instantly by her side and the two women corralled Bulma out of the station.

The worst was finally over.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

The firefighters worked hard to contain the fire and finally created an access point for the officers to investigate. Well, it wasn’t fully safe for anyone to go in, but Bardock convinced the fire chief, Rodney, to allow him entry. He wasn’t taking any chances with Frieza. Of course, the chief did not believe there would be anything left of Frieza. After all, it had already been confirmed that Vegeta had shot the man. He heard one of the officers say as much. Still, if Officer Bardock wanted to see the gruesome, charred remains as proof then it was his decision. Rodney’s team still needed to expel the flames from the rest of the building.

* * *

How long had it been since she was there last?

Honestly, it hadn’t been long enough. Bulma still remembered coming to the hospital every day to keep vigil over Vegeta. It was a horrible time for her and it suffocated her that she was there once again. So far, she hadn’t been able to see Vegeta. She just arrived, actually, and had to wait in a long line to ask what room was her fiancé’s. As the line diminished, she only served to become more terrified.

“He’s in room 103.”

Bulma, in her white, wedding dress ran off to the room and ignored the questioning stares of everyone else.

* * *

Vegeta cringed as his eyes twitched. He felt a horrible pain in the back of his head and wondered if he had gone out and drank himself into a coma. At the thought, something seemed wrong and he realized that he hadn’t had drank in a while for he literally was in a coma months before from alcohol thanks to that bastard Zarbon. Wait, Zarbon was dead now, if he could remember. Frieza had the creep kidnap Bulma.

_Bulma!_

Vegeta shot up and gripped his head as the action made his brain rattle. He heard a familiar chuckle at his side and looked to see his guardian sitting with him. “Hey, kid. You all right?” he asked casually.

“Fine,” Vegeta remarked. “So…what’s my prognosis?”

“You got hit in the head by a fallen beam,” Nappa explained. “You have a concussion, but that’s about it. The doctor mentioned the possibility of memory loss, so let’s test that theory. You know my name, right?”

“Really Nappa?” Vegeta scoffed, though he wore the ghost of a smile. “If you ask me if I remember my name, I’m going to hit you.”

“Fine, Vegeta. Do you remember what today is?”

“Mine and Bulma’s wedding that got so rudely interrupted.”

“And what happened when you got to the Freeze Corp. building?”

“Killed that asshole, Zarbon. Frieza decided to toy with our lives a bit. I shot him in the heart and then tried to escape and apparently got the shit kicked out of me by a beam. Am I missing anything?”

“Nah, sounds about right,” Nappa assured.

It was at that moment when Bulma arrived at the room. She breathed rapidly as she gripped the door. Vegeta’s eyes fell on her, his mouth dropped in astonishment. She was gorgeous…and still in her wedding dress. His brows furrowed at her distress and the tears in her eyes. He had seen her that way too much in his life.

He decided to fix that.

“Do I know you?”

Nappa looked at Vegeta like he was crazy. He just said he remembered everything, so why did he ask such a question. He saw Bulma’s face fall, but then he saw Vegeta smirk and heard him chuckle at her expense. “Relax, Bulma. I would never forget you.”

Instantly, Bulma’s expression changed from horrified and tearful to angered and annoyed. “You asshole!” She marched over to the bed and hit her fiancé in the shoulder. “Why would you make me think that?”

“To get that look off your face,” Vegeta said with a smile. He reached up to wipe away her tears. “It doesn’t suit you.”

Bulma closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, still irritated at Vegeta for making her think the worst. She then opened her eyes and took his hand. “You’re an idiot,” she admonished. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I don’t think my heart can take this a third time.”

“We won’t have to worry,” Vegeta assured her. “Frieza is dead.”

“He is?” Bulma questioned before she remembered the sound of the fired shot. Her lips curved up in relief. “He is.”

“You’re certain about that?” Nappa questioned.

Vegeta looked over to his guardian. “I would hope so. Who survives a gunshot wound to the heart?”

* * *

Frieza…

Frieza survived the gunshot wound, as evident by the trail of blood. Bardock growled and began to follow the liquid trail. Clearly, Frieza had more than one escape route, but he wouldn’t be able to go far being injured. The officer had no doubt that he would find him.

The trail ended at a divot in the wall, and immediately Bardock knew. His mouth flattened into a firm, straight line. Frieza was attempting to escape, wounded, underground. He must have a clean exit down there, but that wouldn’t deter the officer. Being shot point blank might have given the chance to escape, but it wouldn’t be a fast getaway. Bardock refused to let that monster get away.

He figured out how to open the wall and saw a stairway that was covered in blood. Beside himself, the officer smirked at Frieza’s suffering, most likely in a shitload of pain. _It serves him right,_ the officer jeered in his head as he began his descent down the stairs.

There was a hallway, possibly an emergency tunnel that the company had built to get the massive amount of workers out. It was a well-lit hall, almost like the hall of a hospital wing. All that could be heard was the click and echo of Bardock’s footsteps. That was until he found a heavily breathing Frieza sitting up against the wall. He grinned maliciously. _Finally._

“You look like you could use some help?” the officer remarked earning Frieza’s attention and glare.

Then the bastard had the nerve to chuckle. “Officer Bardock, it’s been too long since we spoke face to face. I’m impressed your team was able to orchestrate such a ruse. I never thought you’d involve a civilian like this. I do hope you go easy on him when it comes to the trial.”

“Trial?” Bardock spat. “This isn’t fucking going to trial.”

“Oh, but it will,” Frieza laughed. “You see, I knew he was wearing a wire. He shot me, and now that I’ve survived, I can either get treated and he’ll go away for attempted murder, or I can disappear and he’ll go away for plain murder. Either way, this worked out nicely.”

Bardock’s eyes narrowed. “You’re delusional if you think I’m going to let you crawl out of here or that you’d even get far enough without getting noticed. The whole perimeter is heavily guarded, and I’m not fucking letting you leave here alive. Not after what you did.”

“Tsk, tsk, you’re still on that?” Frieza griped as he leaned his head back against the wall in exasperation. “Such a shame. How many years has it been? It’s not healthy to drown yourself in sorrow.”

“And this is why you won’t be going anywhere,” Bardock growled. “You don’t even give a shit about what you’ve done. You’re a menace that no one will miss.”

“You’ll be the one going to trial,” Frieza chimed with a smirk. “There are laws against police brutality. If you kill an already wounded man, you—”

“Will be a hero in the precinct for getting rid of a murderer like you. Charges won’t even be pressed. Your brother doesn’t give a shit, and your father will only care about salvaging his company. There’s no one else who’ll defend you.” He took out a gun—a gun he took from one of the other officers—and aimed it directly at Frieza’s head. “Time to die, bastard.”

Frieza grinned, not even caring. “You’ll avenge them, but at what cost?”

His words struck Bardock’s heart, but he refused to give into his mind games. He fired a shot, at it directly pierced Frieza’s skull causing blood to spurt against the back wall. It was done. There was no turning back. Bardock finally killed his nemesis, but at the same time the officer felt empty. Still, Frieza was right. He avenged _them_.

“Tora,” he spoke softly, “and Gine…that was for you.”

* * *

With the fire contained, and the majority of the lower floors of Freeze Corp. destroyed, Kakarot and Raditz made their way over to the hospital. They were relieved when they reached Vegeta’s room. Their friend was awake and talking. He clutched Bulma’s hand and refused to let her go. Chi-Chi was sitting by Nappa. Her eyes lit up when she saw Kakarot. She moved to embrace the firefighter and cried out her relief. Moments later, Katie entered the room with a couple of pizzas and smiled when she saw Raditz. As she set the boxes down, she kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

“Well, boys and gals,” she greeted, “I managed to get this in, so everyone eat up. We’ve had a day.”

“Understatement,” Bulma laughed. She sat on Vegeta’s hospital bed and leaned against him. Her fiancé coughed slightly as he chuckled, and she frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Just a little smoke inhalation,” he explained. “Nothing major or as bad as what you went through. Trust me; this is nothing.”

Bulma grinned and squeezed his hand. “Thank God you’re okay,” she sighed. “I was terrified when I heard the explosion. I didn’t know if…”

“It’s all right, now,” the man assured her. He moved their hands so he could lace his in her hair while still keeping the connection. “Frieza is dealt with. He’ll never come after us again.”

The woman smiled sadly, tears formed, but she chuckled. “I’m such a mess,” she said. “You probably think I’m ridiculous.”

“Never,” Vegeta answered before he kissed her forehead. “You’ve had a hell of a day, Bulma.”

“It looks like we’ll have to reschedule the wedding,” Chi-Chi remarked.

“I don’t want it to be as public as it was,” Bulma murmured. “I just want it to be all of us and Zorn. There’s no reason we need to do that. It backfired on us and I’m not doing that again.”

“I agree,” Vegeta grunted. “It gave Frieza and Zarbon access to us. Even with them gone, we deserve a non-chaotic day.”

Chi-Chi smiled. “I’ll get started on arrangements then.”

The doctor entered the room and took a glance at the pizza. He flashed everyone a scolding smile. Vegeta simply smirked, not caring if the doctor approved of his meal choice. He was not going to eat hospital food. Officer Launch was with the physician, and so was Bardock. The palm tree-haired man looked distant, although he glowered at them. The youth’s brows furrowed. What was his problem?

“I just wanted to check on the patient and record your vitals for the evening staff. You’ll be staying here overnight for observation, but tomorrow you’ll be able to leave after I do one last checkup. You dodged a bullet, kid.”

“Don’t remind me,” Vegeta grunted under his breath before he met Bardock’s gaze. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to get your official statement,” Bardock explained. “What happened after the explosion?”

“I left Frieza for dead and tried to escape,” Vegeta stated. “Nappa and Raditz apparently had to haul my sorry ass out of there.”

“You didn’t leave Frieza for dead.”

Everyone either tensed, paled, or froze. “W-what?” Bulma breathed out.

Bardock’s expression softened a bit before he sighed. “I meant, Frieza wasn’t dead when I found him, but he is now.”

“How?” Vegeta asked loudly. “I fucking shot him in the chest point blank. Who survives a shot to the heart?”

“It’s possible he shifted his position so you would just miss the heart, but who knows,” Bardock scoffed. “That bastard has always been a tricky slime. Truthfully, I wasn’t surprised. I got into the building and saw a trail of blood leading to a secret, underground structure. He hoped to escape and either frame you for murder or get proper treatment so you’d go away for attempted. But you don’t have to worry anymore. Shot the bastard in the head. We’re all free of him.”

“What did you know of him before?” Raditz questioned harshly. “You always seemed to know what was up with him. Explain.”

Bardock sighed and looked to his eldest son before he glanced around the room. His eyes met Launch’s. “Can you give me a minute with my family?”

The female officer smiled empathetically. “Of course. I’ll handle things down at the station. You just relax tonight. I’m glad it’s finally over.”

Everyone in the room seemed startled by Launch’s words. Kakarot looked to his father, his voice innocent as he asked, “What’s finally over?”

“My revenge,” Bardock replied. “Everyone, take a seat. This is a really long story, and I won’t repeat myself later. After tonight, I never want to talk about that bastard again.”

His sons and their girlfriends listened. Kakarot took a seat and pulled Chi-Chi in his lap. Katie took the last remaining chair in the room while Raditz opted to lean on the wall. They looked to the irate officer who took a deep breath to center himself. “I’ve been dealing with Frieza’s case since before you boys were even born,” he began. This information shocked both his sons. “He was always a creep even when he was a teenager. At age nineteen, he was already well immersed in his family’s company. His brother, Cooler, hated Frieza and dealt with the international corporations upon his father’s request. Cold Freeze, their father, trained Frieza to take the national syndicate and he excelled.

“But he was a troubled individual. During his college days, he was charged for trafficking illegal drugs, and a few of the underlings that used his name to protect themselves wound up dead,” Bardock continued. Everyone’s eyes were wide, but they weren’t truly surprised. Vegeta was wondering how deep Frieza’s rap sheet went. “He was cleared of charges for both murders, declared innocent, but I knew. I could see the amusement and pleasure in his eyes. Even if he didn’t physically kill them, he was both responsible and chillingly elated that they were dead. As he left the court room, we met eyes and it was the first time I felt truly afraid in my life from some teenager that was younger than me.”

Bardock glanced out the window, the sunset lit his face in its colorful hues. “Afterwards, his name showed up at our precinct again. It was sometime after I met your mother. It was probably a few months after we started dating. You see, it was arranged by our parents that we were to be married. We were bound by our families’ traditions, and though I wasn’t crazy about it, I gave into it. She was a little leery about me, too, so we decided to agree to the engagement, but seeing as we didn’t need to tie the knot right away, we went out on dates.

“I think we were celebrating our six-month anniversary when I received a call from my best friend and partner, Tora,” the story continued. “He got a call from someone that a car caught on fire and the fire department ruled it as arson.”

“I remember hearing about that,” Nappa remarked. “Vegeta’s father and I were off that night when we got paged to deal with another call in while someone dealt with the arson. It seemed like such a random crime.”

“Except it wasn’t,” Bardock countered. “The DNA analysis came back, and it was confirmed that one of Frieza’s employees, and not any employee, but the vice president of his father’s company, had been in the vehicle. When we went to question the employees of Freeze Corp., there was a woman who came from a meeting that morning with the whole board. She said that Frieza wanted to start developing weapons beyond army grade. The vice president, who worked alongside Cold Freeze, disagreed and refused to go along with what some fresh, out-of-school kid wanted to do, especially when the public would be against it. Frieza had motive, and then later that night Tora responded to a car accident. The woman who answered our questions was one of the drivers. The autopsy report said she died of a heart attack, but there was a drug in her system they couldn’t identify. They assumed she was driving under the influence, but I doubt it.”

“Oh my God,” Bulma whispered quietly. Her hand covered her mouth. How could any one person be so disturbed and cruel?

Bardock ignored her discomfort and continued. “Tora and I requested to be the official officers on the case,” he stated, “but we could never get any proof on Frieza. That is to say, we couldn’t get anything on Frieza, but his underling, Dodoria, was another story.”

“Why do I remember that name?” Raditz asked. “It sounds so familiar.”

His father’s glare was enough to silence him. “There’s a good reason for that. Over the years, after your mother and I were married, we decided to start a family. Tora and I kept working to catch Frieza. You were eight, maybe nine, and Kakarot was just a toddler. There was activity on the Frieza front, and Tora went to check it out without me. I got a call in by another officer and left you two with your mother. When I found Tora, he had been shot, but he was still clinging onto life and told me I needed to rush home, that Frieza’s henchman attacked him and was going after our family. Frieza wanted us to stop investigating his crimes by any means necessary.

“Gine already put you boys to bed before Dodoria showed up and broke into the house. He attacked her, injured her to the point where she needed to be rushed to the hospital. I made it home in time to speak to her one last time before they took her away and arrested Dodoria. I incapacitated when he was trying to leave. That bastard was tried and sentenced to life, but because he killed my wife, the chief at the time was very empathetic and transferred him to a state that had the death penalty. Needless to say, Frieza was pissed.

“As was I,” Bardock growled. “I…I did a stupid thing and fell in love with that pain in the ass who was your mother. I don’t know what it was about her but losing her took so much out of me. I realized that our parents had it right, that emotional attachment would only cause pain, and I nearly drowned in it. I didn’t know what to do with you two. Gine always handled it.”

“Dad,” Raditz breathed out. “I’m glad you’re telling us all this, but you’re wrong. I know you were and probably still are in a lot of pain, but arranged marriage isn’t the way to go for us, and that’s why we’ll never agree.”

“I’ve seen that,” Bardock admitted. He looked around the room, then chuckled. “All of you proved me wrong. You guys became more resilient than I ever could.” His expression darkened once again. “And now that I’ve told you everything about your mother, this subject is never to be brought up again. Understand?”

Both his sons looked to each other, and Bardock could tell that they weren’t satisfied with that answer, but they nodded to each other, and then Kakarot said, “Fine, but…if you ever want to talk about Mom again, we’ll listen.”

The officer didn’t react. He looked to Vegeta and Bulma sternly. “You both can rest easy. Frieza will never hurt you again.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

A week had passed since Frieza Freeze was killed by Officer Bardock in ‘self-defense’. The media went crazy, tried to interview Bulma and even Vegeta, but they weren’t getting anywhere with them. Everyone wanted to know about their wedding, which Chi-Chi took care of right away. Bulma announced to the broadcasters who camped out in front of their apartment that they eloped seeing as the first wedding brought so much _unwanted_ attention. The news crews seemed to back off after that, but the whole commotion with Frieza, the wedding, and the fire at Freeze Corp. seemed never-ending.

The bright side was that Bulma and Vegeta were finally wed. They invited all of their close friends and even the officers that had been a big part of their group for a while. Kakarot and Chi-Chi stood by them as they said their vows, promising that through it all nothing would ever come between their love. Vegeta teased his uncle later after the ceremony for tearing up at that part.

Out of respect for his father, Vegeta did invite Rodney. The man seemed to tone down quite a bit in the past few weeks. Why Vegeta decided to invite him, after everything, he didn’t know, but it was as if an unseeable force compelled him. Maybe it was the same force that allowed him to accept Yamcha as a close friend despite their beginnings.

Katie invited everyone over to her place after the wedding. She and Raditz surprised the newlywed couple by having a small reception catered for them. They felt it was the least they could do with everything that happened to their friends. Bardock seemed to embrace the two women his sons were dating, and seemed a lot less incensed when it came to matters of the heart. He seemed to handle the wedding very well.

Nappa couldn’t be prouder of Vegeta for coming such a long way in a short time and for letting people back into his life after he pushed them away for so long. Vegeta and Bulma went out more, spent more time with the rest of them. The two of them even talked about the possibility of having children. It was amazing how much his charge changed and, as his guardian, Nappa was happy. After all, nothing could beat that joyous look on Vegeta’s face. Nappa would bet that both his and the girl’s parents were looking down upon them and sharing in their joy. Everything was going to get better.

In that week after the fire, Cold Freeze made himself public after spending years in retirement. He publicly apologized for how the company was run and everything that happened to the employees. For those that his son allegedly killed, he planned to compensate their next of kin. He planned to tear down the old building, noted that it held nothing but bad memories for the entire city, plus he already had a new office building set up somewhere. He shut down the company’s weaponry division, in his own words ‘taking a page from Ms. Briefs’s book’. He hoped that in doing so, everyone would be able to forgive what he allowed his company to become and not associate it with his son’s crimes.

Bulma took notice of the gesture, and with a room full of board members, she actually did manage to construct a deal where both companies would benefit. Cold was surprised when he received a call from the woman and, politely, he refused her offer. He appreciated the gesture, but the wounds between both companies were very fresh, and his needed to be rebuilt practically from scratch. He did not want her company to suffer because of his, so instead, he purchased technology from them instead. Bulma didn’t fight him on it.

* * *

Everything worked out, and yet it still felt like something was wrong.

Vegeta had been feeling that way for months and couldn’t place his finger on it. He looked to his sleeping wife who was curled up beside him and then around the nearly bare room. The two had been focused on moving out of the apartment. Bulma constructed an actual house to be built closer to both of their places of work. It was a beautiful, light blue home that Bulma designed specifically, especially if they were to start a family. They sold quite a bit of Vegeta’s older furniture and bought new to start over. The only items in the apartment Vegeta wanted to keep was his parents’ belongings. Truthfully, he was willing to let Bulma do whatever she wanted to their home, and he wasn’t disappointed. Somehow she managed to keep a very simple, yet very elegant look to all of their new furniture. She kept both their tastes in mind.

They basically finished moving, but they decided not to officially move in until that Friday, for they wanted it to be what they did together at the start of their weekend and finally let go of the past. It was a much bigger step for Vegeta, for he was giving up the closed off person he chose to become. He knew his parents would be happy with his most recent choices. For once, Vegeta was content with his life, and very much in love. He let another person into his heart, and she rocked him to his very core. There was no going back now, even if he was still grieving. He had this new life ahead of him, and he was going to live it.

He finally decided to get up and chalked his uneasiness up to the fact that he would be leaving that person behind. Then he asked himself if he was really leaving that man behind, or if that man left his childhood self behind. To be perfectly honest, Vegeta felt more like the child he was before _and_ the man he became, a blend of the two. He came to a realization. Maybe, when a person cared for died, you lost a piece of yourself, changed, but you were still the same person buried under all of that grief. He scoffed at his overly sentimental thoughts and went to start on breakfast. He was sure that Bulma would be up soon. She had a meeting today from what he could recall.

After getting breakfast well underway, he heard footsteps and a yawn and turned to see his wife stretching. Her shirt hiked up a bit so that he caught a glimpse of her toned stomach. He grinned and turned away, not wanting to get caught up in a moment that would end up making them both late for work. “Morning,” he greeted, his voice smooth.

“Mm, morning, hun,” Bulma returned before sat down at the table and flashed him a sleepy smile. “What are you making?”

“Scrambled eggs and bacon,” he offered. “I figured it was the simplest of the food we still had and that we both needed the protein. Coffee is already made.”

Bulma beamed at him. “You’re an amazing husband, you know that, Mr. Kurobushi?”

Vegeta snickered at her tone. “And you’re a remarkable wife, Mrs. Kurobushi.”

He brought the food over on two separate plates before he brought Bulma the coffee pot and mugs. He poured himself a cup as well and added some sugar and cream to it while she took hers mainly black with only a hint of sugar. With a shake of his head, he pulled out the newspaper and began to read. Then, he was struck with an image from his childhood where this scene had been an everyday occurrence. He couldn’t help but smile.

Vegeta remembered his father making breakfast for the three of them. Vegeta had been off from school that day, and they got a later start to their morning. His mother had been thrilled to have coffee for she had to deal with crazy clients all day, and his father took it upon himself to make things easier for all of them. His father read the paper that morning, too.

Vegeta frowned as he struggled to remember the rest of the day. After breakfast, his mother got sick which panicked her two boys. She assured them she would be fine, that she was just nervous about a meeting with her boss that day. His father hadn’t been convinced, but he supported the woman and then took Vegeta to spend the day with Nappa who was off. His father then went to work.

Later, Nappa received a call from his friend saying that Vegeta’s mother had to go on a last-minute business trip, and he’d be accompanying her. He also told the man that he had surprising news that he would give him when they returned. Vegeta’s eyes widened, and he realized that that day was the day his parents and unborn sibling were killed, sixteen years ago to the date. No wonder he felt so uneasy. What was worse, though, was that this day was starting out almost exactly like that.

Out of nowhere, Bulma flinched and ran to the bathroom, and Vegeta froze when he heard her get sick. Scratch that…it was exactly like that day.

Vegeta got up and went to sit with her. He stroked her hair which made the heavily breathing woman relax. “Sorry about that,” she whispered. “And you worked so hard on breakfast, too.”

“It’s fine,” Vegeta replied. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I am, but it surprised me a bit,” Bulma answered. “I usually never get sick. I must be really nervous about the meeting. We’re going to be unveiling the gravity simulator. I know the public went nuts when it was finished and patented, but the space program is finally making the purchase today.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Vegeta questioned. “Soon you’ll be free of it.”

His wife smiled. “You’re right. And then I get to unveil our newest projects. This move has really been helping us test them, huh?” Then she noticed his hardened expression and moved to stroke his cheek. “Hey, you okay, hun?”

“Sort of,” he told her. Bulma frowned at his noncommittal answer. “I just realized today is the anniversary of my parents’ deaths.”

Bulma gasped and instantly pulled Vegeta in her arms. She ran her hands through his hair. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll get through it, okay? I’m going to be here for you after you get off of work.”

“Bulma,” Vegeta breathed out. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything,” she assured him.

He pulled away to look her in the eye, his raged with tumultuous emotions. “I know there is no one that ranks higher in you than the company, but if any board members tell you that you have to take a trip flying somewhere, please say ‘no’.”

She smiled sadly and nodded. “Of course. I understand, hun, believe me. Hey, I have an idea. I don’t know about you but sleeping here has been a chore this week for some reason. I didn’t want to say anything, but I felt uneasy. How about we call in a little late and take the last bit of the stuff we wanted to keep and our clothes to the new place. It’s Thursday, so moving in one day early won’t kill us. Besides, I think that’ll be a good memory to have on this day. What do you say?”

Vegeta smirked at the woman and moved to kiss her forehead. “I say that you’re a genius,” he remarked, “but that was a given. I’ve been feeling on edge here lately too, like something is going to happen. Maybe my mind is telling me that it’s time to move on.”

“I’ll call the moving men to remove the rest of the furniture tomorrow so that it can be brought to the homeless shelter,” Bulma stated. “Let’s get packing.” As she went to move, Vegeta stopped her. Her brows furrowed. “What?”

“You just got sick,” he reminded her. “Don’t overexert yourself. Where are the capsules?”

Bulma grinned slightly. “On the dresser. I’ll just go sit on the couch.”

Vegeta nodded and left her to finish packing the last bit of their important belongings save a pair of clothes for them each to wear that day. He looked around the nearly empty guest room where he had kept all of his parents’ belongings, the room that he offered to Bulma when she first lost her home on his birthday, the room that Nappa took after Vegeta and Bulma became official, the night he drank and she spoke for the first time since the fire. So much had changed during that time, he realized, as he looked at the guest room for one final time before the two of them finished getting ready.

They went to drop off the remainder of their belongings at the house before they went about their day. Later, Bulma would have the best news for her husband.

* * *

Vegeta was thankful that there were hardly any calls that day. It gave him some time to spend with his friends and guardian. They all decided to handle paperwork since there was nothing much to do until a new batch of interns entered the precinct. Katie introduced the newbies who were all eager to learn. One youth in the group had stolen Vegeta’s attention; his dark eyes narrowed as they met familiar, cold, red eyes. The boy seemed harmless as he ruffled his own auburn hair. The boy’s eyes caught Vegeta’s and he smiled.

“Mr. Kurobushi,” he greeted, his voice chilling, and Vegeta remembered when Bardock claimed to be fearful of Frieza despite him being a young nobody.

Vegeta crossed his arms. “You know my name,” he stated.

The boy’s seemingly innocent smile never faded. “I do. I must apologize for my father’s actions against you. He did a horrible thing. My grandfather and uncle told me.”

“And you are?” Vegeta sighed and relaxed. He deemed it safe enough to let his guard down since the boy didn’t mean any harm, or at least from what he could determine.

“Kuriza, sir. I hope I am able to make up for my father’s misdeeds.”

Vegeta watched as the boy walked away, and he still felt a pit in his stomach, a warning from an invisible party. Well, at least he could keep an eye on Kuriza. An instant later, Nappa was by his side. “What was that all about?”

“Frieza’s son,” Vegeta scoffed. “It never ends, does it?”

“It’ll be okay, kid,” Nappa assured him. “Always is, right?”

Vegeta nodded and the two talked some more. Vegeta informed Nappa that he and Bulma would be moving into their new home that night, leaving the apartment unoccupied, just in case Nappa thought to stop by. Vegeta didn’t know it then, but the decision to move out of that place couldn’t have come at a better time.

* * *

_“You’re what?”_

When Vegeta arrived at his and Bulma’s new home, he found her already at the table with dinner prepared. Starving, Vegeta grinned and joined his wife. The two ate in silence.

The meal was delicious, veal cutlets served with baby carrots and baby corn. As he ate, Bulma watched him with this all-knowing grin and he had no idea what was up with her. After the meal, the two of them sat on their screened in porch and watched the sunset. Bulma still seemed highly amused, and Vegeta could hardly tell why.

Eventually, she couldn’t take it. Cleary dinner was not enough to get Vegeta’s attention. “How was your day?” she asked him. Vegeta tensed, and she instantly became concerned. “What?”

“Frieza’s son is an intern at the department,” Vegeta explained. “He looks and sounds almost identical to his father. I don’t trust him.”

Bulma’s expression soured as she thought of Frieza, but she sighed and then smiled as she thought of her news. “I have something that might help distract you from that.”

“Oh?” Vegeta’s brow raised in questioning interest.

“So, I got sick again today at work, and Chi-Chi took over at the meeting,” she began. “I went to the doctor.”

“Are you okay?” Vegeta asked, concern evident as his grip tightened around her.

“Oh, I’m more than okay,” Bulma teased. She kissed the tip of his nose and pressed their foreheads together. “Vegeta, we’re going to be parents.”

His mouth instantly opened, however slight, before the look of pure bliss appeared on his face. “Are you serious?” he returned.

“Of course, silly,” Bulma laughed. “I wouldn’t joke about something like that.”

“I…I need to tell everyone!” he exclaimed as he instantly ran inside the house. Bulma couldn’t help but grin and shake her head. Was it even possible that he seemed more excited than she was?

Vegeta returned with his phone in hand, but then he realized that it would be better to tell everyone in person and created a group invitation over to their house Friday night for a housewarming party that would yield a big surprise. He couldn’t wait!

* * *

Later that night, after quite a bit of lovemaking between the couple, Vegeta’s phone went off. He cringed at the sound, thankful that Bulma seemed did not stir. He answered it. “Hello?”

 _“Vegeta, you need to get down to your old apartment,”_ Nappa’s voice came over the line. _“There was a fire.”_

Vegeta instantly sat up. His mind reeled, but he was able to push it aside. “I’ll be there shortly.”

He hung up and went to acquire his clothes and get dressed. Bulma finally awoke when his heat was no longer keeping her warm. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Fire at the apartment,” he stated. Bulma looked horrified and started to gather her clothes. “Bulma, it’s fine. I’ll deal with it.”

“Yeah, sure,” she countered. “But for my peace of mind, I’m going with you.” She smiled wickedly at him. “You wouldn’t want to stress out your _pregnant wife_ , would you?”

Vegeta scoffed. “Do what you want, woman,” he retorted, though honestly he was thankful she wanted to accompany him. The two of them took her new car across town.

* * *

The fire team was still there, though the fire was completely out. There was only minimal damage, none to the structure for the upstairs apartment, thankfully. Officer Bardock was also nearby with a body sitting in the back of his car. Vegeta walked up to Nappa and Rodney who were conversing, Bulma in tow as he held her hand. “What happened?” Vegeta abruptly asked.

Rodney looked to the youth. “Nappa knows more than I do, Vegeta. I’ll go speak with Bardock.”

Once Rodney was out of earshot, two pairs of eyes landed on Nappa. “After I got your text, I decided to stop by here on my way home, just to see it one last time. I saw light in the living room from the window and saw that a fire was already starting. I instantly called Rodney. Bardock showed up minutes later, getting a call from one of your neighbors saying they saw someone suspicious lurking around the place, and he ended up catching the culprit. It was arson.”

“Kuriza,” Vegeta growled.

Nappa nodded. “Don’t worry. He’s going away. He attempted to call his grandfather, but Cold didn’t want anything to do with it. Looks like the kid joined the department to get close to you and that he attempted to get revenge for his father.”

“Their family is twisted,” Vegeta grunted. He looked to Bulma and smiled reassuringly when he saw her fear. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re fine. No one was hurt.”

“But…we could have been,” Bulma replied. “We weren’t even going to move in tonight.”

Vegeta nodded in agreement with her prediction before he looked up to the sky. “We’ve both been feeling off. Maybe someone up there,” he pointed to the sky for effect, “was sending us a warning.”

“Heh,” Bulma chuckled lightly. “Maybe it was our parents, letting us know we needed to let go. Keeping us safe.”

“Maybe.” Vegeta squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Nappa couldn’t help but feel content as he watched the two of them, seeing them so at ease despite what had just occurred. It was strange. He expected Vegeta to be angry, confrontational, and saddened at the loss of his former home, but he seemed to just shrug it off. He and Bulma were safe, and that was all he cared about. He wasn’t even worried about the criminal since he was going away. There was something different about Vegeta that Nappa couldn’t put his finger on.

“So, I have to ask,” Nappa finally spoke, interrupting the couple’s peaceful moment. “What’s this big surprise?”

Vegeta turned to look at his guardian, and the most sincere, genuine smile graced his features. Nappa’s breath was caught in his throat when his eyes met Vegeta’s. “We were going to save the news for tomorrow, but I feel you deserve to know.” He looked to his wife, joy radiating in his heart. “Ready?”

Bulma grinned and nodded. The two of them looked to Nappa before they said simultaneously, “We’re pregnant!”


	32. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ or the characters

_Seven years later…_

“Grandpa Nappa!”

Nappa turned his head only to be tackled over by two rambunctious children—a lavender-haired little boy and a blue-haired little girl—both with matching pairs of exuberant, blue eyes. He grinned when he saw their parents walk up behind them. “Well, isn’t this a surprise? I thought you weren’t coming back to work until tomorrow, not that I’m complaining.”

“Not here for work,” Vegeta said with a chuckle. “Trunks and Bulla couldn’t wait to see ‘their favorite grandfather’.”

“Your imitation of us sucks, Dad,” Trunks, age six, snickered, as he pulled himself off that man. “Are Uncle Kakarot and Raditz here?”

“They’re on call right now,” Nappa answered. “You couldn’t wait ‘til dinner, huh?”

“Nope!” Bulla chimed. “Look, I got you something!”

The four-year-old took out a necklace of shells and put it around Nappa’s neck. “It’s called a lei, they said. It will bring you peace and prosperity. It’s a mixture of black and white nassa shells, for contrast and unity of light and darkness.”

Nappa looked to Vegeta. “How does she know what words like that even mean?” the older man asked.

The proud father only shrugged. “Takes after her mother. Looks and brains.”

“Oh, don’t start that again, mister,” Bulma teased. “She has your stubbornness.”

“Hn,” Vegeta replied as he pulled his wife close to him. He looked to the two kids. “Why don’t you two see if Aunt Katie is here?”

Once the adults were alone, Nappa chuckled at Vegeta’s discomfort. “So, how was your first plane ride?” he teased lightly.

“Ugh,” Vegeta grumbled and pouted at Bulma.

She moved to stroke his cheek. “Someone had some pretty bad anxiety the whole time, but we made it safely, both ways, and the kids enjoyed the trip. Now, you can cross flying off of your bucket list.”

“Whatever,” Vegeta grunted. He looked to Nappa. “It was fine, but I won’t be making it a habit of flying out of the country. Still, it was very nice in the Bahamas. Maybe in another four years, I’d chance going again if you’d like to join.”

Nappa smirked and nodded. “You did good, kid. Glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Oh, hey, you guys are back!”

Vegeta and Bulma turned to see Kakarot and Raditz as they returned to the department. Raditz smirked knowingly and Kakarot grinned dumbly. “We are,” he replied to his still naïve friend. “How’re the wife and kids?”

“Chi-Chi’s great,” Kakarot answered. He looked to his wife’s best friend. “She’s really looking forward to seeing you. Apparently things got crazy the week you were gone.”

“Capsules are selling like hotcakes,” Raditz interjected. “It’s crazy.”

Kakarot nodded. “Uh-huh. The boys are doing well, too. They’ve missed their little buddies this week. They kept asking how many days left until you all got back.”

“Well, we’re here,” Vegeta stated. “We should do something later.”

“I have an idea,” Nappa interjected. “Let’s go to that seafood place by the docks tonight. Everyone free?”

Vegeta smirked and grunted, “Hn,” making his wife giggle.

“We’re game,” Kakarot agreed. “The boys and Chi will be thrilled.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Raditz spoke. “I’ll let Dad know. He could use some time out of the office.”

Bulma frowned as she thought about the officer. “How’s he handling everything?”

Raditz shrugged. “He doesn’t speak about Frieza or our mother, like he erased it. Kuriza’s death brought it back full force, but he seems to be fine.”

Vegeta nodded. “I still remember the day I saw that little shit when he signed up here. He, like his father, had a knack for pissing people off.”

Kakarot grew unusually serious and nodded. “Yeah, another inmate got him. The news keeps saying it was an old employee of Frieza’s that took his revenge for Frieza throwing him under the bus. Cui, I think.”

“Heh, figures. Well, I can’t say it bothers me much either,” Vegeta admitted. The voices of his children reached his ears, and the conversation was effectively ended. They rounded the corner with a very pregnant Katie. The woman smiled and waved to them.

“Welcome back, you guys,” she said. “It was not the same here without you.”

Bulma smiled and then placed her hand on Vegeta’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go invite Yamcha for tonight?”

Vegeta answered with a nod and went to look for their other dark-haired companion. He found him in Rodney’s office and knocked on the doorframe. Yamcha jumped and looked to him, then grinned impishly. “Well, look who it is. Causing trouble the day before you return?”

“Maybe,” Vegeta teased with a smirk. “How’s the chief-in-training?”

Yamcha rolled his eyes. “Eh, better. My old injury has been acting up, so this promotion couldn’t have happened at a better time. So, how was the trip?”

“Decent,” the flame-haired man replied. “After your shifts end, we’re going to head to the docks for dinner. You in?”

The chief-in-training gave him a thumbs up prompting Vegeta to leave once he received the answer. Casually, he strode back to his family, all talking and laughing as his two, beautiful children began to tell the group overexaggerated stories of their trip. The way they saw the world amazed Vegeta. His two little ones were a godsend and taught him how to finally let go of his pain because each moment was precious. Through their eyes, he began to encourage and trust their optimism. They, along with Bulma, had filled the hole in his heart left by his parents’ passing. It took years, decades to grieve, but beyond a shadow of a doubt, he could accept that things would still always get better.

After all, with the help of his family, he made it through the worst of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s the end. I hope it was fluffy enough and that everyone is thoroughly pleased with how everything turned out. I know I am.
> 
> When I posted the original chapter on FFN, it appeared so much longer because of this lengthy A/N where I discussed in depth what happened to me during the course of the story. I'm going to summarize that message here. When I started this story, life was much different. The song "Bonfire Heart" played multiple times a day. It inspired the idea. I was familiar with loss and grief, and I was going through a lot during the time. I wrote 10 chapters of the story before I ever posted any of it, hoping to give myself a bit of a head start.
> 
> I was faced with heartache, worry for a friend, disappointment because my career plans changed and I didn't have a major direction, but then rediscovered myself. All my ducks fell in a row. I got into grad school, was finishing up some internship and volunteer work, and was getting ready to move. It was a huge change, and I was a little torn up over it. On the last day I volunteered at the aquarium, I was sad to say goodbye. While questioning my decisions, I received a call from my grandmother that my estranged father died in a car crash.
> 
> We hadn't spoken to him much in so long. He abused me emotionally and crossed a huge line the year before. I distanced myself from that because the pain was immense. When he died it wrecked me. The day after, when my mom was returning home to help me move and after a sleepless night of night terrors, I got a call for a summer internship. My life was in fast-forward for about a year. I barely slept and had to take sleeping pills which I hated, and I stopped when they completely numbed me of emotion. That was terrifying.
> 
> I did so much between the internship, grad school, another internship after grad school. I never really gave myself a chance to grieve. It wasn't until I traveled with my mom for her job. I actually did get into grief counseling, and it helped. Towards the end of this story, I was able to add a few thoughts from my own experience as well. Although I thankfully didn't become an alcoholic. Since it runs in few individuals in the family, I tried to avoid it like the plague when I first lost my father. Eventually, I did some wine tastings with Mom, and on nights I couldn't sleep, she'd stay up with me, we'd have a glass of wine, and watch Frozen until we passed out on the couches. It was a hard time, but I was able to get through it.
> 
> When I completed the story, Mom had a health scare, but we got through it. It was thankfully nothing major, just doctor's scaring the crap out of us. I was able to start focusing on my career (a little derailed by covid, but hanging in there). I told my readers that the purpose of the way longer A/N was not to give them a ton of personal life information, but it was to show everyone just how difficult and tricky grief is. I learned that the hard way as I wrote this story. After my father passed, I can tell you that the scenes from the story seem more powerful to me now, especially the one where Nappa took Vegeta to the cemetery, how Vegeta went from a kid who believed everything would work out to struggle with the reality of his situation. That’s where I was at the time I completed the story. I still believe everything will work out, but I still fight with reality. Plus, with year's like this, it can be really scary and anxiety inducing.
> 
> I went from being a social butterfly to becoming more reclusive. Back in 2019, I decided to go to trauma therapy to get through that last bit of struggles regarding my relationship with my father. It helped immensely, and I became more active, made a new group of friends who actually wanted to go out and do stuff. That's really the only way to get through grief, by living in spite of it.
> 
> I left my readers with this at the end of the long FFN A/N:
> 
> "Some days, I still feel like pushing everyone away and withdrawing. Don’t. If you lose someone or have lost someone, don’t hide from it. Don’t be afraid to visit your best friend and sob on him each time. Don’t be afraid to talk about it at lunch with your mother, crying in a public place. Don’t turn to alcoholism, though one or two drinks occasionally is fine (despite how much I debated on if that were true). Go out and live life, let people take you out. Some days, stay in your pajamas and watch Dragon Ball Z abridged while working on term papers, and be surprised that the History of Trunks episode was surprisingly hilarious despite how much you thought you’d never get through it. Yes, these are all case by case things that happened specifically to me, but you get the picture. Reach out to people close to you. They love you and will help you through anything, even if it’s just to go sit in the park in silence and feel the wind. You will all get through it."
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for reading.


End file.
